Effect of High Altitude Exposure, Acclimatization and Re-exposure on Psychomotor Performance in Lowlanders
- Conditions
- Effect of High Altitude
- Interventions
- Other: altitude exposure
- Registration Number
- NCT02731456
- Lead Sponsor
- Marc Poulin
- Brief Summary
Prospective interventional trial in lowlanders evaluating the effect of acute exposure, acclimatization and re-exposure to high altitude on psychomotor vigilance to measure sustained attention.
- Detailed Description
Baseline measurements will be performed in Santiago de Chile, 520 m, over the course of 3 days. Participants will then travel by commercial airline (2 h flight) and by bus (2 h ride) to the ALMA base camp located at 2900 m near San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile. Participants will stay there for the next 7 nights and they will spend the days (6 total; 6-8 h daily) at the telescope station at 5050 m while undergoing testing as described above at the first and the last day at 5050m. Daily transports from 2900 to 5050 m will be by car (1 h ride, one way). After the first 7 day altitude sojourn participants will return to the Santiago area (520 m) for a 7 day recovery period. A second altitude sojourn with an identical schedule as the one described above and a final low altitude stay of 3 days will follow.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 18
- born, raised and currently living <1300m
- No overnight stays at altitudes >1500m 4 weeks before the study
- previous altitude intolerance <3000m
- pregnancy
- health impairment, which requires regular treatment
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- SINGLE_GROUP
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Altitude exposure altitude exposure Acute high altitude exposure followed by 8 day acclimatization and re-exposure for 8 days after 6 days at low altitude.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Sustained attention measured by a visual pychomotor vigilance test (PVT) Low altitude dojourn at 520m; forst sojourn at 5050m Day 2, 7; second sojourn at 5050m Day 2, 7 Change in psychomotor response speed across two cycles of altitude exposure, comparing 5050m to 520m.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Indices of sleep quality measured by actigraphy (total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency Low altitude dojourn at 520m; forst sojourn at 5050m Day 2, 7; second sojourn at 5050m Day 2, 7
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
University of Calgary
🇨🇦Calgary, Alberta, Canada