A not-so-good benefit of extreme sports
It seems that extreme mountain climbing can be bad for your brain.
From the
New York Times:
Mountain Climbing Bad for the Brain
If you�ve ever fantasized about scaling Mount Everest, think again. A new study of professional mountain climbers shows that high-altitude climbing causes a subtle loss of brain cells and motor function.
Italian researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to look at the brains of nine world-class mountain climbers who had at least 10 years of experience, including expeditions to Mount Everest and K2. The climbers ranged in age from 31 to 52, with an average age of just under 38, and were used to climbing to altitudes of at least 4,000 meters (two-and-a-half miles, or over 13,000 feet) several times a year.
The scientists, who published their findings in the October issue of the European Journal of Neurology, compared the climbers� M.R.I. brain scans with 19 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. A number of neuropsychological tests were also carried out to assess the climbers� cognitive abilities, including memory and motor functions.
On scans, the climbers showed a reduction in both white and gray matter in various parts of the brain. Overall, the researchers found that the cognitive abilities that were most likely to be affected were the climbers� executive function and memory.
Makes a lot of sense -- spending that much time in the
Death Zone has got to have some adverse long-term effects.
An abstract of the paper is here:
Reduced oxygen due to high-altitude exposure relates to atrophy in motor-function brain areas
Posted by DaveH at February 21, 2009 7:45 PM