Response to: Correspondence on "Neurocognitive impairment in night and shift workers: a meta-analysis of observational studies" by Tucker

We thank Tucker1 for the interest and thoughtful comments on our study ‘Neurocognitive impairment in night and shift workers: a meta-analysis of observational studies’.2 While we were able to identify associations between shift work exposure and neurocognitive functions, identification and quantification of specific exposure effects were restricted. This issue is frequently raised in the scientific literature, and we agree with the comment that the distinction between chronic and acute effects must be taken into consideration when interpreting our results. As we discuss in our limitations, no distinctive chronic or acute effects could be examined due to heterogeneity of exposure assessment. Therefore, we want to highlight that interpretation of our findings must be considered regarding specific underlying mechanisms. As discussed, the meta-analytical results must be interpreted under the assumption of possible moderating effects (eg, reversibility).3 We recommend further analysis to focus primarily on the...
Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine - Category: Occupational Health Authors: Tags: PostScript Source Type: research