EFFECT OF MILD ACUTE HYPOXIA ON HUMAN SHORT-TERM MEMORY

Although there is considerable dispute about the minimum degree of acute hypoxia needed to impair human psychological performance, some workers have suggested that acute exposure to a PIO2 as high as 120 mm Hg may have a demonstrable effect on mental ability. We have investigated the effects, on hum...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of anaesthesia : BJA 1971-06, Vol.43 (6), p.548-552
Main Authors: CROW, T.J., KELMAN, G.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Altitude
Atmospheric Pressure
Female
Humans
Hypoxia
Male
Memory, Short-Term
Space life sciences
Statistics as Topic
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Summary:Although there is considerable dispute about the minimum degree of acute hypoxia needed to impair human psychological performance, some workers have suggested that acute exposure to a PIO2 as high as 120 mm Hg may have a demonstrable effect on mental ability. We have investigated the effects, on human short-term memory, of acute exposure to simulated altitudes of 2,000 feet (PIO2≏;139 mm Hg), 8,000 feet (PIO2≏ 108 mm Hg) and 12,000 feet (PIO2≏92 mm Hg). There was no detectable difference between subjects' performances at the lower two altitudes; at 12,000 feet, however, short-term memory appeared to be impaired, although the impairment did not quite reach statistical significance (t=1.86; P≏0.07).
ISSN:0007-0912
1471-6771
DOI:10.1093/bja/43.6.548