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Cognitive Effects of Repeated Acute Exposure to Very High Altitude Among Altitude-Experienced Workers at 5050 m.

  • Pun M Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
  • Guadagni V Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
  • Drogos LL Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
  • Pon C Safety Group, Atacama Large Millimeter Submillimeter Array, Calama, Chile.
  • Hartmann SE Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
  • Furian M Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sleep Disorders Centre and Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Lichtblau M Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sleep Disorders Centre and Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Muralt L Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sleep Disorders Centre and Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Bader PR Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sleep Disorders Centre and Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Moraga FA Laboratorio de Fisiología, Hipoxia y Función Vascular, Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.
  • Soza D Safety Group, Atacama Large Millimeter Submillimeter Array, Calama, Chile.
  • Lopez I Safety Group, Atacama Large Millimeter Submillimeter Array, Calama, Chile.
  • Rawling JM Department of Family Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
  • Ulrich S Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sleep Disorders Centre and Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Bloch KE Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sleep Disorders Centre and Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Giesbrecht B Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California.
  • Poulin MJ Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
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  • 2019-10-26
Published in:
  • High altitude medicine & biology. - 2019
ALMA
CANTAB
acclimatization
cognition
high altitude
hypoxia
workers
Acclimatization
Adult
Altitude
Altitude Sickness
Chile
Cognition
Cognitive Dysfunction
Environmental Exposure
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Occupational Diseases
Occupational Exposure
Reaction Time
English Background: We investigated altitude effects on different cognitive domains among perennial shift-workers at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Observatory (5050 m), Chile. Materials and Methods: Twenty healthy male workers were recruited and assigned to either a moderate-altitude first (MAF group, Test 1: 2900 m and Test 2: 5050 m) or to a high-altitude first (HAF group, Test 1: 5050 m and Test 2: 2900 m). Test 1 was conducted at the beginning and Test 2 at the end of the shift-work week. Processing speed (RTI, reaction time), attention (AST, attention-switching task, and RVP, rapid visual processing), and executive function (OTS, One Touch Stockings of Cambridge) were assessed. Results: Of the three cognitive domains assessed, only processing speed showed altitude-at-test group interaction (RTI median five choice reaction time: F1, 17 = 6.980, [Formula: see text] = 0.291, p = 0.017). With acclimatization, there was a decrease in AST reaction latency mean (t17 = -2.155, dz = 1.086, p = 0.046), an increase in RVP accuracy (t17 = 2.733, dz = 1.398, p = 0.014), and a decrease in OTS mean latency first choice (t17 = -2.375, dz = 1.211, p = 0.03). Decreased variability in cognitive function was observed in AST reaction latency standard deviation (t17 = -2.524, dz = 1.282, p = 0.022) and in RVP response latency standard deviation (t17 = -2.35, dz = 1.177, p = 0.03) with acclimatization. At 5050 m of elevation, SpO2 was positively correlated with executive function in the MAF group (OTS problems solved on first choice: r(5) = 0.839, p = 0.018) and negatively correlated with executive function latency standard deviations in the HAF group (OTS latency to first choice standard deviation: r(10) = -0.618, p = 0.032). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of acclimatization and improvement of blood oxygen level, even among high altitude-experienced workers, to optimize performance of cognitively demanding work and reduce high altitude-associated health risks.
Language
  • English
Open access status
bronze
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/284440
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