Structural Modifications of the Brain in Acclimatization to High-Altitude

Zhang, Jiaxing; Yan, Xiaodan; Shi, Jinfu; Gong, Qiyong; Weng, Xuchu; Liu, Yijun

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011449

Cited by 56 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…In females from high altitude, a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic pressure when compared to females from Arica is also observed. Similar results were observed by Zhang et al, (2010) working with a high altitude Tibetan population, where males showed a significant decrease in heart rate.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Effects of High Altitude on Morphophysiological Patterns, Perception and Attention Capacity in Students from Putre (3500 m.a.s.l.) and Arica (2 m.a.s.l.), Chile

Espinoza-Navarro¹,

Grau²

2014

Int. J. Morphol.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Effects of High Altitude on Morphophysiological Patterns, Perception and Attention Capacity in Students from Putre (3500 m.a.s.l.) and Arica (2 m.a.s.l.), Chile

Espinoza-Navarro¹,

Grau²

2014

Int. J. Morphol.

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“…Furthermore, these data identify similar locations of altered white matter water mobility as those observed previously in individuals after prolonged sojourns to high altitude 8,17,18 and in individuals native to high altitude. 19 It should be mentioned that by directly calculating T 2 and mean diffusivity, we avoided any potential confusion that 'T 2 -shine through' can cause on raw diffusion-weighted images. Our findings of no overt increases in T 2 during hypoxia preclude the possibility of T 2 shine through on the raw diffusion-weighted image, which normally occurs when there is an increase in T 2 in the tissue.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of Whole-Brain White Matter Identifies Altered Water Mobility in the Pathogenesis of High-Altitude Headache

Lawley

Oliver

Mullins

et al. 2013

J Cereb Blood Flow Metab

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Elevated brain water is a common finding in individuals with severe forms of altitude illness. However, the location, nature, and a causative link between brain edema and symptoms of acute mountain sickness such as headache remains unknown. We examined indices of brain white matter water mobility in 13 participants after 2 and 10 hours in normoxia (21% O 2 ) and hypoxia (12% O 2 ) using magnetic resonance imaging. Using a whole-brain analysis (tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS)), mean diffusivity was reduced in the left posterior hemisphere after 2 hours and globally reduced throughout cerebral white matter by 10 hours in hypoxia. However, no changes in T 2 relaxation time (T 2 ) or fractional anisotropy were observed. The TBSS identified an association between changes in mean diffusivity, fractional anisotropy, and T 2 both supra and subtentorially after 2 and 10 hours, with headache score after 10 hours in hypoxia. Region of interest-based analyses generally confirmed these results. These data indicate that acute periods of hypoxemia cause a shift of water into the intracellular space within the cerebral white matter, whereas no evidence of brain edema (a volumetric enlargement) is identifiable. Furthermore, these changes in brain water mobility are related to the intensity of high-altitude headache.

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“…2010, 2011a), developmental experience of childhood, and adolescence (Zhang et al. 2010), or intermittent sea‐level (SL) normoxic exposure (Wang et al. 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, increases in FA values in the corticospinal tract and CC were only found in HA immigrant descendants (Zhang et al. 2010). This hypoxia‐adaptive genetic trait of callosal fiber modification indicates that CC may play a crucial role in brain anatomical architecture during HA acclimatization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term acclimatization to high‐altitude hypoxia modifies interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity in the adult brain

Chen

Li²,

Han³

et al. 2016

Brain and Behavior

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BackgroundStructural and functional networks can be reorganized to adjust to environmental pressures and physiologic changes in the adult brain, but such processes remain unclear in prolonged adaptation to high‐altitude (HA) hypoxia. This study aimed to characterize the interhemispheric functionally and structurally coupled modifications in the brains of adult HA immigrants.MethodsWe performed resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in 16 adults who had immigrated to the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (2300–4400 m) for 2 years and in 16 age‐matched sea‐level (SL) controls. A recently validated approach of voxel‐mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) was employed to examine the interhemispheric resting‐state functional connectivity. Areas showing changed VMHC in HA immigrants were selected as regions of interest for follow‐up DTI tractography analysis. The fiber parameters of fractional anisotropy and fiber length were obtained. Cognitive and physiological assessments were made and correlated with the resulting image metrics.ResultsCompared with SL controls, VMHC in the bilateral visual cortex was significantly increased in HA immigrants. The mean VMHC value extracted within the visual cortex was positively correlated with hemoglobin concentration. Moreover, the path length of the commissural fibers connecting homotopic visual areas was increased in HA immigrants, covarying positively with VMHC.ConclusionsThese observations are the first to demonstrate interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity resilience in the adult brain after prolonged HA acclimatization independent of inherited and developmental effects, and the coupled modifications in the bilateral visual cortex indicate important neural compensatory mechanisms underlying visual dysfunction in physiologically well‐acclimatized HA immigrants. The study of human central adaptation to extreme environments promotes the understanding of our brain's capacity for survival.

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Structural Modifications of the Brain in Acclimatization to High-Altitude

Cited by 56 publications

References 70 publications

Effects of High Altitude on Morphophysiological Patterns, Perception and Attention Capacity in Students from Putre (3500 m.a.s.l.) and Arica (2 m.a.s.l.), Chile

Effects of High Altitude on Morphophysiological Patterns, Perception and Attention Capacity in Students from Putre (3500 m.a.s.l.) and Arica (2 m.a.s.l.), Chile

Investigation of Whole-Brain White Matter Identifies Altered Water Mobility in the Pathogenesis of High-Altitude Headache

Long‐term acclimatization to high‐altitude hypoxia modifies interhemispheric functional and structural connectivity in the adult brain

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