Dr.Biol., Professor R.V. Tambovtseva
Master's student U.I. Bykovа
Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sport, Youth and tourism (GTSOLIFK), Moscow

Keywords: mental capacity, succinic acid, ammonium succinate, memory, thinking, attention, accuracy factor, concentration

Background

Elite sports require from athletes to mobilize their personal resources up to the limit of the natural human abilities, and the requirements tend to grow with time, albeit at the same time sport science offers the means to assist the athletes in coping with the growing workloads. A reasonably designed professional training process will provide for many things including the workload control process, current physical and mental condition monitoring process and, last but not least, efficient rehabilitation process.

One of the promising rehabilitation preparations that may not be qualified as doping is ammonium succinate. Its positive effects on the physical working capacity rates were proved by a few study reports [2-4, 6], although practical tests on active athletes have been insufficient so far. We have failed to find reports in the available research literature with concern to the ammonium succinate effects on the intellectual ability components including memory, thinking process and attention.

Objective of the study was to explore effects of small doses of ammonium succinate on a variety of athletes’ intellectual ability components including memory, thinking process and attention.

Methods and organisation of the study. The study was performed at the Muscular Activity Bioenergetics Research Laboratory of the N.I. Volkov Sport Biochemistry and Bioenergetics Department of the GTSOLIFK, Moscow. Tests and experiments under the study were performed at no risk for the people’s health in compliance with the relevant ethical and humanity provisions of the 2000 Helsinki Declaration and the EU Directive 86/609. Subject to the tests were 62 elite athletes aged 20+0.8 years on average specialized in different sports who gave their informed consents on the experiment.

The primary 6 tests including Tapping Test; Complex Figure Recognition Test by J. Bernstein; and four Thinking Activity Rating Tests by I.M. Lushchikhin (scheduled for 2 academic hours) were applied to every subject and were designed to score the thinking process, memory and attention levels of the subjects. It took 30 minutes to compose three groups of subjects based on these primary tests. The first group was proposed to administer per os a placebo substance (microcrystal cellulose, dose =0, Group 0). The second group administered ammonium succinate preparation (15 mg/kg dose=2, Group 2); and the third group also administered ammonium succinate preparation (30 mg/kg dose=5, Group 5). The test data processing statistics were presented on boxplot charts and in tables to help analyze the performance rates of special interest for the purposes of the study; and on dotplot diagrams to present the occurrence frequency of every test value for the three Groups altogether. The boxplot charts give the means to clearly visualize the first, second (i.e. median) and third quartiles, plus trace spikes in the samples. Given in Table 1 are the first, second and third quartiles, minimum and maximum values in the samples and indications of spikes if any.

Furthermore, the following tests were performed under the study: the short-term memory rating Operational Memory Test; and the non-verbal intellectual ability rating Domino Test. RStudio Software toolkit was applied for statistical data processing. Analytical statistical data were obtained by the test data benchmarking for the three test groups using the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric rank test criterion. In case of statistically significant differences, intergroup data comparing analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney non-parametric criterion for independent samples. Multiple comparisons in the calculation procedure were made using the adjustment ratio by Holm–Bonferroni [5]. Data meaningfulness rate of 5% was assumed for the calculations (α=0.05). The difference significant rate of 10% was assumed as indicative of the trend-level variations of the data arrays (α=0.1). We applied the non-parametric criteria for calculations since most of the data arrays showed distributions different from the normal one.

Study results and discussion. The three test Groups showed primarily the same results in the right- and left-hand Tapping Tests that generated the Nervous System Strength ratios. Largely the same results were obtained by the functional asymmetry rating Complex Figure Recognition Bernstein Tests that generated the short-term visual memory rates, “figurative thinking flexibility” rates, “verbal thinking flexibility” rates and the “subjective feel of fatigue” rates.

It should be noted, therefore, that all three test Groups were primarily the same in terms of the intellectual workability rates, and the ammonium succinate administration played neither positive nor negative role in this case irrespective of the dose administered.

Given in Table 1 hereunder are the Domino Test data (L.F. Burlunchik’s version); and given in Table 2 are the test data comparisons using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney criteria.

Table 1. Domino Test (L.F. Burlunchik’s version) data

Table 2. Domino Test (L.F. Burlunchik’s version) data comparisons using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney criteria

Therefore, the Domino Test (L.F. Burlunchik’s version) data were statistically meaningfully higher in Group 5 versus two other Groups. However, the Operational Memory Test and the information processing speed rating Attention Concentration Test showed no statistically significant differences of three test Groups.

Given on Figures 1 and 2 hereunder are the Attention Concentration Test (endurance rating) data presented in boxplot and dotplot formats, respectively. 

Figure 1. Attention Concentration Test (endurance rating) data presented in a boxplot format

Figure 2. Attention Concentration Test (endurance rating) data presented in a dotplot format

Therefore, the Attention Concentration Test (endurance rating) data showed no statistically significant differences in three test Groups. However, on the trend level (α=0.1) the intergroup differences were detectable using the Kruskal-Wallis criterion, with Group 2 dominating in the trend.

Given in Tables 3 and 4 hereunder are the Attention Concentration (accuracy rating) Test data and the test data comparisons based on the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney criteria, respectively.

Table 3. Attention Concentration (accuracy rating) Test data

Table 4. Attention Concentration (accuracy rating) Test data test data comparisons based on the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney criteria

      Therefore, having summarized the test results, we have statistically significant grounds to believe that the ammonium succinate administration in 15 mg/ kg dose appears to affect, on a trend-level, some attention concentration rates on the whole and the visual information processing average accuracy rate in particular. The non-verbal intellectual ability rates were found notably improved after the preparation was administered in 30 mg/ kg dose, with Group 5 showing higher test rates than the other two Groups. Knowing that Group 2 showed statistically significantly much lower figurative thinking flexibility rates in primary tests versus that in other two Groups; and that differences in the Domino Test data found to grow with the dose, there are good reasons to assume that there is a direct correlation between the quantity of the administered preparation and the non-verbal intellectual ability rate. Other intellectual ability tests (including operational memory tests, visual information processing accuracy tests, and visual information processing speed rating tests) found no significant differences in the group test data.

Conclusions

• The ammonium succinate administration in 15 mg/ kg dose was found to affect, on a trend-level, some attention concentration rates on the whole and the visual information processing average accuracy rate in particular, albeit the processing speed retention ability was tested to fall.
• The ammonium succinate administration in 30 mg/ kg dose was found to notably improve the non-verbal intellectual ability rates (a direct correlation was traced).
• Other intellectual ability tests (including the operational memory tests, visual information processing accuracy tests, and the visual information processing speed rating tests) found no significant differences in the group test data.
• It was found by the study that a multiple administration of the preparation may be recommended for further tests.

Summarizing the above, we have good reasons to state that higher ammonium succinate administration was found to cause a positive effect on some of the intellectual workability components rather than the intellectual quality on the whole. We believe that the intellectual workability rate may be improved by higher doses of ammonium succinate being administered. The available research literature provides no guidance on the subject. There are only some study reports [1] and multiple popular articles reporting positive impacts of succinic acid on some functions including the cerebral blood flow, plus corrective impacts on dysfunctions/ damages. It may be reasonable to ask what is the mechanism of the exogenous metabolite action? and does it make sense to additionally oxidize the brain with exogenous acid? We can only assume that damaged cerebral cells or vessels rapidly employ the incoming succinic acid to delay destruction of the cell and particularly mitochondria; and any remedy is good for them in this case including succinic acid with its fast remedial effect. It should be noted, however, that these matters deserve further serous research and theoretical studies.

References

1. Vorobiev A.N., Stepanova E.F., Pogorelov V.E., Oleynikova O.N. Skriningovye issledovaniya farmakologicheskogo deystviya smesi tsinnarizina s kislotoy yantarnoy (Screening studies of pharmacological action of mixture of succinic acid with cinnarizine) // Vestnik novykh meditsinskikh tekhnologiy (Bulletin of new medical technologies). - 2009. - V. XVI. - № 2. - P. 94.
2. Majewski E.I., Grishina E.V., Rosenfeld A.S., Zyakun A.M., Kondrashova M.N.,  Vereshchagin V.M. Anaerobnoe obrazovanie suktsinata i oblegchenie ego okisleniya – vozmozhnye mekhanizmy adaptatsii kletki k kislorodnomu golodaniyu (Anaerobic succinate formation and its oxidation facilitation - possible mechanisms of cell adaptation to hypoxia) // Biofizika (Biophysics). - 2000. - V. 45. - № 3. - P.509 - 513.
3. Majewski E.I. Correction of metabolic acidosis by maintaining mitochondrial function (Correction of metabolic acidosis by maintaining mitochondrial function) / Rosenfeld A.S., Grishin E.V., Kondrashova M.N. - Pushchino, 2001. - 155 p.
4. Peskov A.B., Majewski E.I., Uchitel' M.L., Kondrashova M.N. Platsebo-kontroliruemoe issledovanie simpatikotonicheskikh effektov biologicheski aktivnykh dobavok na osnove soley yantarnoy kisloty (Placebo-controlled study of sympathicotonic effects of succinate-based dietary supplements) // Biomeditsinskiy zhurnal (Biomedical Journal). - 2005 - Is. 6. - P. 508 - 514.
5. Terapevticheskoe deystvie yantarnoy kisloty (Therapeutic effect of succinic acid) / ed. by M.N. Kondrashova - Pushchino, 1976. - 234 p.

Corresponding author: ritta7@mail.ru

Abstract
Objective of the study was to explore the effects of ammonium succinate in minor doses on the intellectual workability rates of athletes as verified by the thinking, memory and attention tests. The study was performed at the Muscular Activity Bioenergetics Research Laboratory of the N.I. Volkov Sport Biochemistry and Bioenergetics Department of GTSOLIFK, Moscow. Tests and experiments under the study were performed at no risk for the people’s health in compliance with the relevant ethical and humanity provisions of the 2000 Helsinki Declaration and the EU Directive 86/609.
Subject to the tests were 62 elite athletes specializing in different sports who gave their informed consent on the experiment. A variety of psychological tests were applied. It was found by the study that ammonium succinate dosed at 15 mg/kg caused a slight (trend-level) influence on the attention test rates, whilst a 30 mg/kg dose was of a statistically meaningful effect on the non-verbal intellectual abilities. Other intellectual ability tests (including the operational memory tests, visual information processing accuracy tests, and the visual information processing speed rating tests) found no meaningful differences in the group test data. It was found by the study that a multiple administration of the preparation may be recommended for further tests.