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Assessing the effect of long-term high altitude exposure on human brain function: A resting-state functional magnetic
Zhidong Wang1, Jiajie Chen2, Xiaofeng Dai3
1Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China; Graduate Work Department of Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Objective:
This study uses resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to understand and compare the effects of hypoxic conditions at high and ultra-high altitudes.
Methods:
Regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree centrality (DC) values were calculated and compared between 47 low-altitude (LA, <500 m), 39 high-altitude (HA, 1520 m), and 34 ultra-high-altitude (UHA, 3650 m) healthy adults. Correlations with heart rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) were analyzed.
Results:
Compared to the LA group, the UHA/HA group had significantly lower ReHo values in the bilateral basal ganglia, prefrontal lobes (left/right), left paracentral lobule, and these were positively correlated with SpO₂. Conversely, ReHo values were significantly higher in the bilateral posterior occipital and left superior parietal lobes, and were negatively correlated with SpO₂. DC values were significantly lower in the left orbitofrontal cortex, bilateral pallidum and left inferior frontal gyrus, and were positively correlated with SpO₂. Synchronous decreases in ReHo and DC were found in the left prefrontal cortex, bilateral pallidum and putamen.
Conclusion:
In high-altitude environments, functional activity is decreased in the basal ganglia, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus, is accompanied by a compensatory increase in the occipital and superior parietal lobes. Concurrent reductions in DC and ReHo within the left prefrontal cortex, bilateral pallidum and putamen might serve as biomarkers for high-altitude hypoxic functional alterations and aid early detection and intervention of hypoxia-induced brain damage.
