Metabolic Changes in the Activated Human Visual Cortex During Mild Hypoxia

During normoxia, the computer-controlled gas blender provides a gas mixture that generates pressures of expired O2 and CO2 similar to the resting values measured for each subject (32-35mmHg and 100-110 mmHg, respectively). During mild hypoxia, we will target the same expired CO2 of normoxia and a 60 mmHg reduction of expired O2 from the resting value (to a minimum limit of 50 mmHg), which is expected to reduce arterial oxygen saturation to 82-85%. In mild hypoxia, the fraction of inspired oxygen is reduced from \~21% (room air) to \~12% (equivalent to an altitude of 4000 meters). During both conditions of normoxia and mild hypoxia, the brain activity of subjects is monitored with functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fMRS) while they are presented with visual stimuli.