MOOD CHANGES AND PERSONALITY STUDY DURING A 31-DAY PERIOD OF CHRONIC HYPOXIA IN A HYPOBARIC CHAMBER (EVEREST-COMEX 97) Running title : Mood changes and personality at altitude (original) (raw)
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High altitudes of more than 3000 meters produce physiological disorders and adverse changes in mood states. In the present study, we report investigations on mood states and personality traits in eight experienced climbers participating in a 31 day period of confinement in hypobaric chamber and gradual decompression from the sea-level to 8848 m (Experiment ‘Everest-Comex 97). The subjects were tested at 5500 m, 6500 m on day 13, 5000 m, 6500 m on day 24, 8000 m, and 8848 m altitude. Adverse changes in mood states, such as Vigor and Fatigue, occurred at 8000 m and 8848 m, which were significantly correlated with cerebral altitude symptomatology. In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between Fatigue and Factor C, which is a personality trait that measures emotional stability. We suggest that emotionally low stable individuals affected by feelings could be more sensitive to environmental stressor agents than more emotionally stable subjects who face reality.
Journal of Environmental Psychology, 1999
Extreme environmental situations are useful tools for the investigation of the general processes of adaptation. Among such situations, high altitude of more than 3000 m produces a set of pathological disorders that includes both cerebral (CAS) and respiratory (RAS) altitude symptoms. High altitude exposure further induces anxiety responses and behavioural disturbances. The authors report an investigation on anxiety responses, personality traits, and altitude symptoms (AS) in climbers participating in a 31-day period of con¢nement and gradual decompression in a hypobaric chamber equivalent to a climb from sea-level to Mount Everest (8848 m altitude). Personality traits, state-trait anxiety, and AS were assessed, using the Cattell 16 Personality Factor questionnaire (16PF), the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Lake Louise concensus questionnaire. Results show signi¢cant group e¡ect for state-anxiety and AS; state-anxiety and AS increased as altitude increased. They also show that state-type anxiety shows a similar time-course to CAS, but not RAS. Alternatively, our results demonstrate a signi¢cant negative correlation between Factor M of the 16PF questionnaire, which is a personality trait that ranges from praxernia to autia. In contrast, no signi¢cant correlation was found between personality traits and AS. This suggests that AS could not be predicted using personality traits and further support that personality traits, such as praxernia (happening sensitivity), could play a major role in the occurrence of state-type anxiety responses in extreme environments. In addition, the general processes of coping and adaptation in individuals participating in extreme environmental experiments are discussed.
Maximum Effort Training Performed in Hypoxia Alters the Mood Profile
Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte
Introduction: Physical exercise at high altitude has become constant. However, the risks associated with this type of exercise represent a major concern, considering the influence of important stressors such as hypoxia and physical exercise on psychobiological and physiological responses. Objective: Analyze the mood state and behavior of physiological variables of volunteers subjected to a progressive loading protocol until they reached maximum volitional exhaustion, both at sea level and at a simulated altitude of 4500 meters. Method: For both conditions studied, the volunteers responded to two instruments that assess mood responses: The Brunel Mood Scale and the Visual Analogue Mood Scale. They also underwent blood sampling to measure blood lactate levels and to evaluate oxygen-hemoglobin saturation. These procedures were performed before, immediately after, and 30 and 60 minutes after the end of the protocol. Results: Hypoxia triggered negative effects on mood responses, especial...
High altitude exposure impairs sleep patterns, mood, and cognitive functions
Psychophysiology, 2012
This work evaluated the importance of sleep on mood and cognition after 24 h of exposure to hypoxia. Ten males, aged 23-30 years, were placed in a normobaric chamber simulating an altitude of 4,500 m. Sleep assessments were conducted from 22:00-6:00; all mood and cognitive assessments were performed 20 min after awakening. The assessments were conducted in normoxic conditions and after 24 h of hypoxia. Sleep was reevaluated 14 h after the start of exposure to hypoxic conditions, and mood state and cognitive functions were reevaluated 24 h after the start of exposure to hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia reduced total sleep time, sleep efficiency, slow-wave sleep, and rapid eye movement. Depressive mood, anger, and fatigue increased under hypoxic conditions. Vigor, attention, visual and working memory, concentration, executive functions, inhibitory control, and speed of mental processing worsened. Changes in sleep patterns can modulate mood and cognition after 24 h.
Discursive Strategies of Subjects with High Altitude Hypoxia: Extreme Environment
Stress Medicine, 1997
A discourse analysis was carried out on nine European lowlanders during a 2-month scienti®c expedition at high altitude including a 3-week stay in extreme survival conditions at the summit of Mt Sajama (6542 m), in order to contribute to the understanding of psychological adaptation to extreme environments. This discourse analysis was part of a wide-ranging scienti®c investigation involving 12 scienti®c and medical research protocols which targeted human adaptation to high altitude chronic hypoxia. The objective of this study is to better understand the presence of linguistic markers capable of translating the subject's psychological state when faced with a threatening environment. This study was based on a method of propositional speech analysis developed by Ghiglione and Blanchet which emphasizes the cognitive function of verb categories, modalizers and adjuncts used by subjects. The method was developed in conjunction with psychopathological studies of the depressive state. Speech was recorded at time T 1, 4 days after reaching the summit of Mt Sajama, and at time T 2, 2 days before descending the mountain peak. These results revealed that in the absence of depression in any psychopathological sense of the word, normal subjects would react to their environment with a depressive component. However, the results of this study equally illustrate for some subjects a correspondence between those states with a depressive component and a physiological incomplete adaptation to high altitude. This correspondence could re¯ect the pathogenic eect of an adaptation de®cit or could be in keeping with the literature concerning an incomplete adaptation eect induced by a latent depressive state.
Sports, 2018
The purpose of this case study was to investigate the influence of a training load (TL), oxygen saturation (SO2) and blood pressure (BP) on mood states in a wheelchair marathoner during (7 weeks at sea level (SL), 5 weeks at 3860 m altitude, 1 week returning to SL). TL was obtained with Foster’s equation while mood states were obtained with the Profile of Mood States Questionnaire (POMS). Furthermore, SO2 and BP were assessed upon wakening. SO2 (%) decreased at altitude, compared to SL (88.31 ± 2.46 vs. 98.52 ± 0.11) and increased until the last week at altitude (92.64 ± 1.12). Systolic pressure (SP) increased at altitude compared to pre-altitude (126.0 ± 5.1 vs. 107.6 ± 4.4 mmhg), and was not different from the last week at altitude. Controlling for SO2 and SP, differences were also observed in fatigue (97.66 ± 18.92 vs. 17.39 ± 13.71) and vigor (73.23 ± 8.62 vs. 26.48 ± 11.89) as a function of altitude. Upon return to SL, fatigue, vigor, SO2 and SP returned to pre values. This cas...
High Altitude Medicine & Biology, 2022
Background: Interoception refers to an individual's ability to sense their internal bodily sensations. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a common feature of ascent to high altitude that is only partially explained by measures of peripheral physiology. We hypothesized that interoceptive ability may explain the disconnect between measures of physiology and symptom experience in AMS. Methods: Two groups of 18 participants were recruited to complete a respiratory interoceptive task three times at 2-week intervals. The control group remained in Birmingham (140 m altitude) for all three tests. The altitude group completed test 1 in Birmingham, test 2 the day after arrival at 2,624 m, and test 3 at 2,728 m after an 11-day trek at high altitude (up to 4,800 m). Results: By measuring changes to metacognitive performance, we showed that acute ascent to altitude neither presented an interoceptive challenge, nor acted as interoceptive training. However, AMS symptom burden throughout the trek was found to relate to sea level measures of anxiety, agoraphobia, and neuroticism. Conclusions: This suggests that the Lake Louise AMS score is not solely a reflection of physiological changes on ascent to high altitude, despite often being used as such by researchers and commercial trekking companies alike.
2012
Background. The aim of this prospective observational cohort study was to investigate relationships between acute mountain sickness (AMS) and physical and mental health during a high altitude expedition. Methods. Forty-four participants (mean age, 34 ± 13 y; body mass index, 23.6 ± 3.5 kg·m 2 ; 57% male) completed the Dhaulagiri base camp trek in Nepal, a 19-day expedition attaining 5,372 m. Participants self-reported the following daily physical and mental health: AMS (defined by Lake Louise diagnosis and individual and total symptom scores), upper respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, and anxiety, plus physiological and behavioral factors. Results. The rate of Lake Louise-defined AMS per 100 person days was 9.2 (95% CI: 7.2-11.7). All investigated illnesses except diarrhea increased with altitude (all p < 0.001 by analysis of variance). Total AMS symptom score was associated with a lower arterial oxygen saturation, higher resting heart rate, more upper respiratory and diarrhea symptoms, greater anxiety, and lower fluid intake (all p < 0.02 by longitudinal multiple regression analyses). However, only upper respiratory symptoms, heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation, and fluid intake predicted future AMS symptoms [eg, an increase in upper respiratory symptoms by 5 units predicted an increase in the following day's AMS total symptom score by 0.72 units (0.54-0.89)].
Frontiers in physiology, 2018
Hypoxia and confinement have both been shown to influence emotional state. It is envisaged that the inhabitants of future planetary habitats will be exposed to concomitant confinement, reduced gravity and hypoxia. We examined the independent and combined effects of a 21-day inactivity/unloading and normobaric hypoxia under confined conditions on various psychological factors. Eleven healthy men participated in three 21-day experimental campaigns designed in a cross-over manner: (1) Normobaric hypoxic ambulatory confinement, (2) Normobaric hypoxic bed rest and (3) Normobaric normoxic bed rest. The Profile of Mood States, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were employed to assess the participants' psychological responses before (Pre), during (Day 7, Day 14, and Day 21) and after (Post) the confinements. The most negative psychological profile appeared on days 14 and 21 of the hypoxic bed rest campaign. A significant increase in depression, tension, and confusion was not...