Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40864284›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of applied physiology2026

Critical flicker fusion frequency: confounders and caveats.

Thomas Muth, Jochen D Schipke, Anne-Kathrin Brebeck, Sven Dreyer

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Article in European journal of applied physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Thomas MuthFaculty of Medicine, Institute of Occupational, Social, Environmental Medicine, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Jochen D SchipkeResearch Group Experimental Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. j.schipke@gmx.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1747-5657
Anne-Kathrin BrebeckArtemis MVZ Frankfurt, Main, Frankfurt, Germany.
Sven DreyerHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCritical flicker fusion frequency (cFFF) measures visual perception, with higher values indicating better performance. It is widely used to assess the effects of breathing gases in diving and hyperbaric environments.

aimIdentify confounders explaining inconsistent cFFF study results.

methodsFour experiments using a manual flicker device in volunteers with healthy eyes: 1. cFFF was measured in 174 recreational divers to examine demographic effects. 2. One male diver was tested daily over 85 days. 3. In 28 divers, cFFF was measured before and after 5 min of normobaric oxygen. 4. In 24 divers, cFFF was tested with and without diving masks, plus a condition with diagonal flicker light on the mask.

results1. Mean cFFF: 39.2 ± 5.1 Hz; decreased with age (p < 0.001), no gender/BMI effect. 2. Mean: 43.4 ± 2.1 Hz; stable across lighting. 3. Thresholds differed by frequency order; minimal O₂ effect. 4. Masks had no effect, but diagonal light reduced cFFF (p < 0.01).

conclusioncFFF varied by 13% across divers and 5% in a single diver. Age and observer-light geometry influenced results. Oxygen had minor impact. Findings support using age-specific norms and considering perceptual confounders in diving research.

Indexed as

DivingFlicker FusionVisual PerceptionAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOxygenYoung AdultOxygenAgeCritical flicker fusion frequencyDiversLightingNitrogenOxygen

Identifiers

PMID40864284
PMCPMC12948893

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.