Li Yuan, Wang Yan
Center on Aging Psychology, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China.
Plateau Brain Science Research Center, Tibet University/South China Normal University, Lhasa 850012, China.
Brain Sci. 2022 Jun 20;12(6):808. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12060808.
Cognitive function is affected by low pressure and hypoxia in high-altitude environments, and is regulated by altitude and exposure time. With the economic development in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the increase in work and study activities, as well as the development of plateau tourism, mountaineering, and other activities, the number of plateau immigrants is increasing daily. Long-term hypoxia challenges human physical and mental health, restricts work efficiency, and thus affects plateau economic development and human wellbeing. Therefore, it is of scientific and social significance to study how long-term exposure to the hypoxic plateau environment affects the physical and mental health of lowlanders as part of the ongoing development of the current plateau region. In this paper, we reviewed the research progress and mechanism of the effects of long-term (≥1 year) high-altitude (>2500 m) hypoxia exposure on the cognitive function of lowlanders, and suggested that the scope and sample size of the research should be expanded in the future, and that follow-up studies should be carried out to explore the time threshold of cognitive impairment and its compensatory or repair mechanism.
认知功能在高海拔环境中会受到低压和缺氧的影响，并受海拔高度和暴露时间的调节。随着青藏高原经济的发展，工作和学习活动的增加，以及高原旅游、登山等活动的开展，高原移民数量日益增多。长期缺氧对人类身心健康构成挑战，限制工作效率，进而影响高原地区的经济发展和人类福祉。因此，作为当前高原地区持续发展的一部分，研究长期暴露于缺氧的高原环境如何影响低海拔地区人群的身心健康具有科学和社会意义。在本文中，我们综述了长期（≥1年）高海拔（>2500米）缺氧暴露对低海拔地区人群认知功能影响的研究进展及机制，并建议未来应扩大研究范围和样本量，并开展后续研究以探索认知障碍的时间阈值及其代偿或修复机制。
