Measuring Cognitive Enhancement During Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments
Condition: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of short-term HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen
      treatments) on a range of cognitive abilities. The current study examined whether there is a
      HBOT-related short-term cognitive improvement and, if so, what specific cognitive abilities
      are improved by the intervention.

      Participants were randomized to perform cognitive tasks in one of two chambers with two
      different clinical environments: (a) HBOT condition: (2 ATA (atmosphere absolute) 100% oxygen
      for 90 minutes). (b) Control condition: in which the chamber was not pressurized (Normobaric
      condition- 1 ATA for 90 minutes).
    

Detailed description: 
      The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of short-term HBOT on a range of
      cognitive abilities. The current study examined whether there is a HBOT-related short-term
      cognitive improvement and, if so, what specific cognitive abilities are improved by the
      intervention.

      Participants were recruited through ads on the internet and on student social groups. All
      participants underwent a comprehensive physical and neurological examination, and general
      medical conditions were ruled out. Participants were excluded if reported changes in their
      cognitive or behavioral functions during one month prior to the beginning of the study.
      Smokers (people who smoke more than seven cigarettes a week) were required to take a lung
      x-ray confirming there isn't a pulmonary pathology, such as pneumothorax, pulmonary bullae,
      emphysema, or other lung pathologies preventing them from staying in a high ATA environment.
      Participants with an abnormal x-ray were excluded from the study. Participants who regularly
      use Methylphenidate (i.e. Ritalin) or other stimulants for attention disorders (i.e. ADHD)
      were instructed not to take it at the day of the experiment.

      Following consent, all the participants were exposed to the testing battery in a group
      setting. One of the experimenters went through each of the sub-tests instructions in a
      detailed manner prior to a practice phase in which participants trained on the tasks.
      Afterwards, participants were randomized to perform the tasks in one of two chambers with two
      different clinical environments: (a) HBOT condition: (2 ATA 100% oxygen for 90 minutes). The
      atmospheric pressure in this condition was set to 2 ATA. This ATA level is known to have a
      clinical effect, whereas higher-pressure levels may result in inhibitory brain effects or
      even lead to focal toxicity (Efrati and Ben-Jacob, 2014). (b) Control condition: in which the
      chamber was not pressurized (Normobaric condition- 1 ATA for 90 minutes) and participants
      breathed air (21% oxygen). In this condition, ATA was elevated for a few minutes to 1.2 ATA
      in order to mimic the feeling of pressure building up in the ears. The pressure was decreased
      soon after to 1 ATA.

      The assessment began 30 min after participants wore the oxygen masks within the chamber, in
      order to enable appropriate brain oxygenation in the HBOT condition (Vadas et al., 2017). The
      battery was composed of cognitive tests adapted for high functioning subjects and adjusted to
      an in-chamber group administration setting.
    

Intervention name(s): Hyperbaric oxygent treatment; Control hyperbaric oxygen treatment
Intervention type(s): Device; Device
Intervention description(s): Subjects will enter the oxygen chamber. ATA will be elevated to 2 ATA. They will breath 100% oxygen while solving cognitive tests designed to assess their cognitive capacities; Subjects will enter the oxygen chamber. ATA will be elevated to 1.2 ATA for a short while and the decreased back to 1 ATA. They will breath air while solving cognitive tests designed to assess their cognitive capacities
Intervention MeSH terms: Perflubron
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: two groups being tested in parallel. The first group in HBOT environment. The second group in a SHAM environment.
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Cognitive enhancement; Memory; Information processing speed; Hyperbaric oxygen treatments