Differential impact of acute hypoxia on event related potentials: impaired task-irrelevant, but preserved task-relevant processing and response inhibition

Anna Altbäcker; Endre Takács; Irén Barkaszi; Tamás Kormos; István Czigler; László Balázs

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.03.022

Differential impact of acute hypoxia on event related potentials: impaired task-irrelevant, but preserved task-relevant processing and response inhibition

Physiol Behav. 2019 Jul 1:206:28-36. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.03.022. Epub 2019 Mar 19.

Authors

Anna Altbäcker¹, Endre Takács², Irén Barkaszi¹, Tamás Kormos³, István Czigler⁴, László Balázs⁵

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
² Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Doctoral School of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
³ National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology, Budapest, Hungary.
⁴ Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁵ Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: balazs.laszlo@ttk.mta.hu.

PMID: 30902633
DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.03.022

Abstract

The current study investigated how experimentally induced acute normobaric hypoxia affects attentional control functions during easy, monotonous visual sustained attention and response inhibition (modified Continuous Performance Task) and executive control tasks (number-size Stroop task). Along with behavioral efficiency, task-relevant and task-irrelevant information processing were investigated by measuring event related brain potentials (ERP) evoked by target stimuli (Target P3), task-relevant stimuli with no response needed (NoGo P3), and task-irrelevant novel stimuli (Novelty P3) during acute hypoxia exposure. Normobaric hypoxia was induced by adjusting the O₂ content of the breathing mixture to obtain 80% peripheral oxygen saturation, equivalent of 5500 m above sea level. Here we report decreased Novelty P3 during acute normobaric hypoxia exposure, while Target P3 and NoGo P3, as well as behavioral efficiency remained intact. Our paper is the first to provide evidence for impaired novelty processing along with intact task-relevant information processing and response inhibition during normobaric hypoxic exposure.

Keywords: Attentional control; Event related potentials; Normobaric hypoxia; Novelty processing; P300.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Attention / physiology*
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials / physiology*
Executive Function / physiology*
Female
Humans
Hypoxia / physiopathology*
Hypoxia / psychology
Inhibition, Psychological*
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
Reaction Time / physiology