1. Right temporal cerebral dysfunction heralds symptoms of acute mountain sickness
- Author
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Antoine Depaulis, Berend Feddersen, Soheyl Noachtar, Florian Thanbichler, Pritam Neupane, Robb Waanders, Harald Ausserer, Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)-Klinikum Grosshadern, Dynamique des Reseaux Neuronaux, Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Human Development and Community Services, Dept. of Neuropsychology, Landeskrankenhaus Rankweil, Collaboration, and Deransart, Colin
- Subjects
Male ,MESH: Mountaineering ,Neurology ,Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial ,Acclimatization ,Hemodynamics ,MESH: Respiratory Function Tests ,Altitude Sickness ,Electroencephalography ,MESH: Carbon Dioxide ,Functional Laterality ,0302 clinical medicine ,MESH: Brain Mapping ,Neuroradiology ,MESH: Aged ,Brain Mapping ,MESH: Statistics, Nonparametric ,MESH: Middle Aged ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Altitude ,MESH: Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial ,MESH: Cerebrovascular Circulation ,Middle Aged ,Effects of high altitude on humans ,Temporal Lobe ,Respiratory Function Tests ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Cerebral blood flow ,Cerebrovascular Circulation ,Anesthesia ,Acute Disease ,Middle cerebral artery ,MESH: Altitude Sickness ,MESH: Acute Disease ,Female ,MESH: Oxygen ,Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Central nervous system ,MESH: Acclimatization ,Statistics, Nonparametric ,03 medical and health sciences ,030225 pediatrics ,medicine.artery ,MESH: Electroencephalography ,[SDV.BBM] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biochemistry, Molecular Biology ,medicine ,Humans ,MESH: Temporal Lobe ,[SDV.BBM]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biochemistry, Molecular Biology ,MESH: Functional Laterality ,Aged ,MESH: Humans ,business.industry ,MESH: Adult ,Carbon Dioxide ,MESH: Altitude ,MESH: Male ,Mountaineering ,Oxygen ,Neurology (clinical) ,business ,MESH: Female ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
International audience; Acute mountain sickness (AMS) can occur during climbs to high altitudes and may seriously disturb the behavioral and intellectual capacities of susceptible subjects. During a Himalayan expedition 32 mountaineers were examined with electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial doppler sonography (TCD) to assess relative changes of middle cerebral artery velocity in relation to end-expiratory CO2 (EtCO2), peripheral saturation (SaO2), and symptoms of AMS. We tested the hypothesis that O2 desaturation and EtCO2 changes precede the development of AMS and result in brain dysfunction and compensatory mechanisms which can be measured by EEG and TCD, respectively. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that subjects who later developed symptoms of AMS between 3,440 m and 5,050 m altitude exhibited an increase of slow cerebral activity in the right temporal region already at 3,440 m. Cerebral blood flow increased in these mountaineers in the right middle cerebral artery at 5,050 m. These findings indicate that regional brain dysfunction, which can be documented by EEG, heralds the appearance of clinical symptoms of AMS.
- Published
- 2007
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