Effects of hypocapnia on psychomotor and intellectual performance.
Nine subjects performed five psychomotor tasks (two motor, two intellectual, and one combined motor and short-term memory) at three levels of PACO2 (38.5, 25.0 and 15.0 torr) with voluntary hyperventilation at 20 l/min. There were no performance decrements at PACO2 levels of 38.5 and 25.0 torr. At a PACO2 of 15.0 torr, there were no decrements of intellectual performance but there were highly significant decrements in motor performance. It is suggested that a lack of regional cerebral hypoxia, arising from compensating changes in regional cerebral blood flow, could be responsible for the preservation of intellectual performance at a PACO2 of 15 torr.
D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006985:Hyperventilation / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*
D002245:Carbon Dioxide