Cognitive and emotional processing at high altitude.
BACKGROUND
Exposure to altitude reduces oxygen supply to the central nervous system and may cause a variety of neuropsychological impairments. We investigated the relationship between certain cognitive functions and cardiovascular and respiratory variables during acute hypobaric hypoxia.


METHODS
There were three groups of seven men who were each exposed to a 2-h altitude profile (AP) involving 30 min at each of the following simulated altitudes (m): AP1, 450-1500-3000; AP2, 450-1500-4500; Control 450-650-650. The neuropsychological tests included word fluency and three word-association tasks tapping processes of cognitive flexibility and emotion regulation. A lateralized tachistoscopic lexical decision task with high and low emotional target words was also administered to assess possible shifts in hemispheric superiorities for positive and negative affect.


RESULTS
No significant differences in word fluency, word association, or lateralized lexical decision performances were found, despite a significant oxygen desaturation and a drop in diastolic BP at 4500 m, indicating the beginning of central hypoxia in terms of a functional impairment of the vasomotor center.


CONCLUSIONS
During acute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia, selected cognitive and affective functions mediated by the frontal lobe were preserved. Functional hemispheric asymmetries for emotional processes remained unchanged.
Pavlicek
Vojtech
V
Institute of Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Schirlo
Christian
C
Nebel
Andreas
A
Regard
Marianne
M
Koller
Erwin A
EA
Brugger
Peter
P
D000064:Acclimatization; D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001273:Atmosphere Exposure Chambers; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests