title: Dull Brains, Mountaineers, and Mosso: Hypoxic Words from on High.
abstract: Dull and hypoxic brains have been a frequent subject in the medical and mountaineering literature. Deterioration of cognitive and other neurological function occurs at high altitude, with or without high altitude cerebral edema. This historical essay explores a 2014 first-ever English translation of cerebral blood flow studies by nineteenth century physiologist Angelo Mosso. Some of the medical history and physiology of brain function is discussed, but much of the style focuses on quotations from the writings of mountaineers and mountaineering physicians to provide color commentary about dull brains at high altitude.
authors.affiliation: Richmond , Virginia.
authors.forename: Harvey V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Lankford
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000150:complications / Q000266:history*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history*; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000209:etiology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D009051:Mountaineering / Q000266:history*; D015272:Pulmonary Medicine / Q000266:history*
keywords: Mosso; altitude; brains; cerebral; hypoxia