Abstract
In order to find out whether the physiological changes in glycemia (after starvation or exertion) can explain rather high intra-individual variability of event related potentials (ERPs), the ERPs with reaction time (RT), binocular pattern reversal VEPs and motion-onset VEPs (M-VEPs) were examined in 14 healthy subjects prior to and after 24 hours starvation that decreased glycemia from 5.3 to 3.9 mmol/l on average. The only significant change in VEPs and ERPs was an increase of N160 peak amplitude in the M-VEPs to radial motion at lower glycemia.
For evaluation of the exertion influence, we tested glycemia prior to and after 90 minutes long exercise (bicycle ergometry with the load set to 2 W/kg in women and 2.5 W/kg in men). The changes of glycemia to exertion were less distinct than those to starvation.
We conclude that in healthy subjects the glycemia decrease due to 24 hours starvation or intensive time limited exercise never reaches critical value to change the VEP, ERPs and RTs.