A Cross Sectional Study on the Relationship Between the Body Mass Index (BMI) and the Audiovisual Reaction Time (ART).

INTRODUCTION The reaction time is the time interval between the stimulus application and the proper response. The neurophysiological studies suggest a relationship of the BMI with the cognition, attention and the memory. AIM To study the relationship between the Body Mass Index (BMI) and the audiovisual reaction time in young healthy females. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was carried out in the Department of Physiology on 90 young, healthy females who were in the Ist year MBBS and BDS at GMC and GDC Aurangabad. The height and weight were recorded and the BMI was calculated. The subjects were divided into 3 groups: those with normal weight, underweight and overweight according to the WHO criteria. The simple reaction time was measured with the help of Audio Visual Reaction Time Apparatus in all the three groups. The data was analyzed by the one way ANOVA test by using the Graphpad Prism Software. RESULT There was a prolongation of both ART and VRT in the underweight and the overweight individuals. When the VRT was compared, it was found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION Our study showed that the BMI of an individual affected the audio visual reaction time, which was an indirect measure of the sensory motor association.