Okazaki Kazunobu, Asano Katsumi, Horiuchi Masahiro
Research Center for Urban Health and Sports, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan.
Department of Environmental Physiology for Exercise, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2025 Aug 1;139(2):571-581. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00434.2024.
People who climb high altitudes frequently experience headaches, which are the primary symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Although headaches and AMS are primarily caused by hypoxia, they remain poorly understood, specifically, the effects of regional cerebral blood flow on headache and AMS. In this high-altitude laboratory study, we investigated the hypothesis that regional cerebrovascular responses to high-altitude (3,776 m) sojourns are associated with AMS symptoms. The internal carotid artery (ICA), vertebral artery (VA), cardiorespiratory and vascular responses, and symptoms of AMS were assessed in eight healthy male lowlanders (mean age, 34 yr) at sea level (SL, 450 m) and on three consecutive days at the summit of Mount Fuji (3,776 m). Compared with sea level, ICA flow increased on ( = 0.009) and ICA diameter increased on - ( < 0.001). In contrast, VA flow increased on and ( = 0.008 and = 0.018, respectively) and VA velocity increased on ( = 0.044). Headaches increased over the 3 days ( = 0.011 to = 0.048), but AMS increased on ( = 0.001). Repeated-measures correlation analysis revealed that changes in headaches from the previous day were correlated with percent changes in ICA diameter ( = 0.596, = 0.012), VA flow, and velocity ( = 0.537, = 0.026 and = 0.619, = 0.008, respectively). Thus, a high-altitude-induced increase in cerebrovascular perfusion may contribute to the worsening of headaches, which is a typical AMS pathogenesis. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) symptoms for 3 days at 3,776 m were assessed using volumetric cerebral blood flow. Internal carotid arterial (ICA) flow increased gradually, whereas vertebral arterial (VA) flow acutely increased on but decreased thereafter. Headaches increased over 3 days, but AMS did not until . Changes in headaches were correlated with those in ICA diameter and VA flow/velocity. Thus, a high-altitude-induced increase in cerebrovascular perfusion may contribute to worsening headaches.
经常攀登高海拔地区的人经常会经历头痛，这是急性高原病（AMS）的主要症状。虽然头痛和急性高原病主要由缺氧引起，但人们对它们的了解仍然很少，特别是局部脑血流量对头痛和急性高原病的影响。在这项高海拔实验室研究中，我们调查了这样一个假设，即对高海拔（3776米）停留的局部脑血管反应与急性高原病症状有关。在海平面（SL，450米）和富士山山顶（3776米）连续三天，对八名健康的男性低地居民（平均年龄34岁）的颈内动脉（ICA）、椎动脉（VA）、心肺和血管反应以及急性高原病症状进行了评估。与海平面相比，颈内动脉血流量在[具体时间1]增加（P = 0.009），颈内动脉直径在[具体时间2]增加（P < 0.001）。相比之下，椎动脉血流量在[具体时间3]和[具体时间4]增加（分别为P = 0.008和P = 0.018），椎动脉速度在[具体时间5]增加（P = 0.044）。头痛在三天内增加（P = 0.011至P = 0.048），但急性高原病在[具体时间6]增加（P = 0.001）。重复测量相关分析显示，与前一天相比头痛的变化与颈内动脉直径的百分比变化相关（r = 0.596，P = 0.012）、椎动脉血流量和速度（分别为r = 0.537，P = 0.026和r = 0.619，P = 0.008）。因此，高海拔引起的脑血管灌注增加可能导致头痛加重，这是典型的急性高原病发病机制。使用体积脑血流量评估了在3776米处三天的急性高原病（AMS）症状。颈内动脉（ICA）血流量逐渐增加，而椎动脉（VA）血流量在[具体时间7]急性增加，但此后减少。头痛在三天内增加，但急性高原病直到[具体时间8]才增加。头痛的变化与颈内动脉直径和椎动脉血流量/速度的变化相关。因此，高海拔引起的脑血管灌注增加可能导致头痛加重。
