Serum neurofilament level increases after ascent to 4559 m but is not related to acute mountain sickness.

ABSTRACT:

Background and purpose

At high altitude the brain is exposed to hypoxic stress, which may result in neurological conditions, with acute mountain sickness (AMS) being the most common. We aimed to test the hypothesis that rapid ascent to high altitude alters neuro-axonal integrity, which can be detected by increased concentration of serum neurofilament light (sNfL) in the blood and may even be exaggerated in people with AMS.

Methods

Serum neurofilament light was measured using a single-molecule array (Simoa, Quanterix, Lexington, MA, USA) assay at low altitude (423 m) in 47 healthy study participants and 44 h after rapid and active ascent to high altitude (4559 m). Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂ ) and partial pressures of oxygen (pO₂ ) were obtained a

SUBMITTER: Sareban M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7898504 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature