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Intermittent hypoxia training effectively protects against cognitive decline caused by acute hypoxia exposure

  • Integrative Physiology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Intermittent hypoxia training (IHT) is a promising approach that has been used to induce acclimatization to hypoxia and subsequently lower the risk of developing acute mountain sickness (AMS). However, the effects of IHT on cognitive and cerebrovascular function after acute hypoxia exposure have not been characterized. In the present study, we first confirmed that the simplified IHT paradigm was effective at relieving AMS at 4300 m. Second, we found that IHT improved participants’ cognitive and neural alterations when they were exposed to hypoxia. Specifically, impaired working memory performance, decreased conflict control function, impaired cognitive control, and aggravated mental fatigue induced by acute hypoxia exposure were significantly alleviated in the IHT group. Furthermore, a reversal of brain swelling induced by acute hypoxia exposure was visualized in the IHT group using magnetic resonance imaging. An increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF) was observed in multiple brain regions of the IHT group after hypoxia exposure as compared with the control group. Based on these findings, the simplified IHT paradigm might facilitate hypoxia acclimatization, alleviate AMS symptoms, and increase CBF in multiple brain regions, thus ameliorating brain swelling and cognitive dysfunction.

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Data availability

All data were collected from volunteers and all materials are publicly available.

Abbreviations

AMS:

Acute mountain sickness

ANT:

Attentional network test

BDNF:

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

CBF:

Cerebral blood flow

CSF:

Cerebrospinal fluid

EEG:

Electroencephalography

ER:

Error rate

ERP:

Event-related potential

GM:

Gray matter

HA:

High-altitude

IHT:

Intermittent hypoxia training

LLS:

Lake Louise Score

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

RT:

Reaction time

SP:

Slow potential

WM:

White matter

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Funding

This work was supported by the Beijing Science and Technology Commission (grant numbers: Z161100000216134 and 7204283) and the Key Program of National Nature Sciences Foundation of China (grant number: 81430044).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Guangbo Zhang, Guochun Yang and Yanzhao Zhou contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cognition Sciences and Stress Medicine, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No. 27 Taiping Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China

    Guangbo Zhang, Yanzhao Zhou, Ming Fan, Yong-Qi Zhao & Lingling Zhu

  2. Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Guangbo Zhang & Ming Fan

  3. CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China

    Guochun Yang

  4. Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing, China

    Zhengtao Cao

  5. The First Medical Center of Chinese, PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China

    Ming Yin & Lin Ma

  6. Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, China

    Ming Fan & Lingling Zhu

  7. Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

    Yong-Qi Zhao & Lingling Zhu

Authors
  1. Guangbo Zhang
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  2. Guochun Yang
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  3. Yanzhao Zhou
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  4. Zhengtao Cao
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  5. Ming Yin
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  6. Lin Ma
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  7. Ming Fan
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  8. Yong-Qi Zhao
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Contributions

Guangbo Zhang, Guochun Yang, and Yanzhao Zhou were responsible for completing the whole experiment, Zhengtao Cao provided hypoxic equipment, Ming Yin provided test support, Lin Ma was responsible for magnetic resonance analysis, Ming Fan provided key parameters for hypoxic training, Yong-Qi Zhao designed the research and completed statistical analysis, and Lingling Zhu provided research resources and scientific support.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yong-Qi Zhao or Lingling Zhu.

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The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (ID: AF/SC-08/02130), which was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration for Human Studies.

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Zhang, G., Yang, G., Zhou, Y. et al. Intermittent hypoxia training effectively protects against cognitive decline caused by acute hypoxia exposure. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 476, 197–210 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-023-02885-x

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