Year: 2016
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school is a challenging military training course that is required for military members in high-risk professions.During SERE, servicemembers learn valuable survival skills and are put through a captivity experience.However, the effects of SERE training on physical performance remain undetermined.The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the endocrine response and acute performance aspects in a group of warfighters undergoing SERE training.20 men (Age: 25.3 ± 3.6 years; Height: 178.1 ± 6.1 cm; Weight: 83.7 ± 12.6 kg) who were members of the United States Navy and Marines took part in the study.Blood samples were obtained on three separate test days (T1: baseline assessment, T2: stress assessment; T3: recovery assessment) beginning at 18:00 hours.Blood was analyzed for plasma epinephrine (EPI), plasma norepinephrine (NOREPI), plasma dopamine (DOPA), total plasma catecholamines (TOTAL CATS), serum cortisol (C), serum testosterone (T), and plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY).Subjects also performed a vertical jump test and handgrip test at T1 and T2.As expected, stress hormone concentrations (EPI, NOREPI, DOPA, TOTAL CATS and C) were significantly elevated (p ≤ 0.05) at T2 after the most stressful phase of the military training course.Testosterone concentrations were significantly reduced at T2, as was bodyweight.Unexpectedly, NPY concentrations were elevated at baseline (T1), did not increase at T2, but deceased sharply at T3. Physical fitness was iii found to have a significant influence on NOREPI concentrations (F(1,18) = 4.43, p = .050).This study was one of the first to document the physical performance responses to SERE training.The study revealed that despite the cumulative effects of sleep deprivation, food restriction and highly stressful training scenarios that resulted in significant increases in stress hormone concentrations and a significant decrease in body mass (5.2 ± 1.2 kg) over the course of SERE training, subjects were able to maintain performance on the vertical jump and handgrip test.This suggests that elevations in catecholamines during highly stressful training may offset the physical performance decline caused by cumulative stressors in a harsh training environment.Furthermore, more fit individuals may respond differentially under conditions of extreme stress, with quicker recovery of catecholamine responses to normal resting concentrations.This suggests that physical fitness may be an important factor contributing to resilience during stressful military training.In conclusion, this study revealed that although individuals with higher physical fitness had a differential catecholamine response, the SERE training course resulted in significant increases in stress hormone concentrations in all subjects regardless of physical fitness level.iv Dedication My dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Otto and Magdolna Szivak, who instilled in us the importance of education and the value of hard work, and who made many sacrifices to help us succeed; and to my brothers, Zsolt and Laszlo, for their love and support throughout the past seven years of graduate work.
Author: Tunde K. Szivak
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: Behavioral Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Ohio State University
OpenAlex ID: W2612556505