Neuropsychologic effects of saturation diving

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Neuroscience
• Diving Medicine

Background:

• Saturation diving involves prolonged exposure to high ambient pressures.
• Neuropsychologic effects of saturation diving, especially deep saturation diving, require further investigation.
• Divers may exhibit pre-existing differences in cognitive and autonomic functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the neuropsychologic status of saturation divers before and after deep saturation diving (DSD) and ordinary saturation diving (SD).
• To evaluate the long-term effects and potential recovery of cognitive functions after saturation diving.
• To identify relationships between diving experience, dive characteristics, and neuropsychologic impairments.

Main Methods:

• Neuropsychologic assessments were conducted on divers before and after DSD (300-500 msw) and SD (3.5 years).
• Tests measured tremor, spatial memory, vigilance, and autonomic reactivity.
• Correlations were analyzed between diving experience, dive variables, and observed impairments.

Main Results:

• 20% of divers in the DSD group showed >10% impairment in tremor, spatial memory, vigilance, and autonomic reactivity post-dive.
• No significant recovery was observed one year post-dive, except for vigilance.
• In the SD group, 20% of divers exhibited >10% impairment after 3.5 years, with reduced autonomic reactivity.
• Low autonomic reactivity pre-dive correlated with more impairments.
• Increased saturation diving experience and years of diving correlated with greater impairments and reduced autonomic reactivity.

Conclusions:

• Saturation diving, particularly deep saturation diving, can lead to mild-to-moderate, persistent neuropsychologic impairments.
• Deep saturation dives may have effects comparable to 3.5 years of ordinary saturation diving.
• Repeated deep diving may result in cumulative and more severe cognitive and autonomic dysfunction.