Effects of Altitude-like Cognition Training on Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Functions

Fresh air with 12% O2, is blown into a sealed 20 m³ room by a 4kW air compressor with a safety-approved system developed by HöhenBalance, Austria. After participants enter the room, the O2 levels will be reduced from 16% to 12% (≈ 4,400 meters altitude) in a 30 minutes lead-in phase. The target O2 level of 12% will be maintained over three hours

Fresh air with 20% O2, is blown into a sealed 20 m³ room by a 4kW air compressor with a safety-approved system developed by HöhenBalance, Austria. The target O2 level of 20% will be maintained over 3.5 hours

The web-based cognitive training (Happy Neuron Pro) is grounded on principles of neuroplasticity-based learning by being intensive, neuroadaptive, engaging and rewarding. The active training involves parametric task adjustment by decreasing stimuli presentation time, increasing working memory load, decreasing time to respond, and increasing the number of non-target items (distractors).

Participants in the no training control condition receive computer games similar to Happy Neuron Pro but with low cognitive demand that produce no cognitive benefits. Specifically, this sham procedure involves the exact same stimuli as the active condition but with changes from trial to trial only in the appearance of the tasks.