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PREDICTIVE STUDIES VIII (PS VIII): CO2 and Adaptation to Acute Hypoxia
Major Category: CO2 and adaptation to acute hypoxia (PS VIII)
Subcategory 4: Evaluation of six additional mental function tests in acute hypoxia without CO2. Untrained Subjects. Rest.

Date: March 1993

Expt. Title: Preliminary Series 4. An experiment series to evaluate additional mental performance tests for sensitivity to 10% inspired O2. (Expt. 14.11)

Description: 

The purpose of this series (preliminary series 4) was to evaluate 6 additional tests of mental performance for sensitivity to 10% inspired O2, since the four previously evaluated were considered not sufficiently or reliably sensitive. This series involved 8 untrained Subjects in the rest state, with exercise not involved. In addition to evaluation of the additional Tests, the purpose was to determine if there was a differential in performance of untrained Subjects and Subjects after they were trained, as claimed and refuted in the literature. The experiment protocol was a 60 min. exposure to the hypoxic gas following air controls. Three of the Tests below (identified with *) were selected for use in the next series.

Measurements:
Physiological:

Arterial O2 saturation, heart rate, end-tidal PCO2 and PO2, ventilation.

Mental Performance:

Word-Number Test of (short term) Associative Memory (PMS Test E1)*
Letter Sets (Order) Test of Inductive Reasoning (PMS Test F1)*
Surface Development Test of Visualization (PMS Test F2)
Choosing a Path Test of Spatial Scanning (PMS Test F3)
Multiplication Test of Numerical Ability (PMS Test G1)
Division Test of Numerical Ability (PMS Test G4)*

07 February 2000 11:43:25 AM