NY Times - Mountain Climbing Bad for the Brain

[ivan]

So 3 of 9, 4 of 9 and especially 6 of 9 are all fairly damning.

So where do I fit in this mess???

the only good thing about voyager, the show where the chick captain got everybody lost

 

maybe climbing's bad for the brain 'cuz it pisses our wives off, who in turn take to slowly poisoning us w/ lead n' arsenic in our food?

[sobo]

And what is that bra made of?

Micro-linear, iso-elastic synthetic fibers. You like what it does for my figure?

[Bug]

You fill those cups nicely.

 

[Cairns]

Here was another study about brain lesions caused by high altitude climbing:

Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443427

 

PURPOSE: There are only anecdotal and small reports on brain systematic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in mountain climbers. The purpose of our work is to study the risk of brain lesions in mountain climbers by means of conventional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). METHODS: We recruited 35 climbers consecutively (12 were professional and 23 were amateur) in 4 expeditions without supplementary oxygen: 12 professionals and one amateur went up to Mt. Everest (8848 m), 8 amateurs to Mt. Aconcagua (6959 m), 7 amateurs to Mont Blanc (4810 m), and 7 amateurs to Mt. Kilimanjaro (5895 m). The mean age was 33.8 years (range: 22-46). All of them underwent general medical examination, standard blood tests, and MRI of the brain after the expeditions. MRI also was carried out in a control group of 20 healthy subjects. Single-voxel MR spectroscopy was carried out in 14 amateur subjects after the expeditions and in 10 healthy controls. As outcome measures, we evaluated changes in the hematocrit value, presence of cerebral lesions on MRI, as well as atrophy and dilatation of Virchow-Robin spaces, and differences in the metabolite ratios obtained from brain MRS in comparison with controls. RESULTS: Only 1 in 13 of the Everest climbers had a normal MRI; the amateur showed frontal subcortical lesions, and the remainder had cortical atrophy and enlargement of Virchow-Robin spaces but no lesions. Among the remaining amateurs, 13 showed symptoms of high-altitude illness, 5 had subcortical irreversible lesions, and 10 had innumerable widened Virchow-Robin spaces. Conversely, we did not see any lesions in the control group. We found no significant differences in the metabolite ratios between climbers and controls. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there is enough evidence of brain damage after high altitude climbing; the amateur climbers seem to be at higher risk of suffering brain damage than professional climbers.

 

Could be their findings were from dehydration: when you lose fluid most of your organs can just shrink a little but when your brain shrinks negative pressure would develop in the skull and delicate bits might get pulled a little harder than they like.

 

I wonder how they know the lesions were irreversible.

 

So far I see something that might be similar to getting calluses on your skin from rock-climbing. The article suggests that such an adaptation is at work:

 

"the amateur climbers seem to be at higher risk of suffering brain damage than professional climbers"

 

 

I like this tiny report:

 

*******************

 

Acta Neurol Scand. 1993 Feb;87(2):103-5.

 

 

Long-lasting neuropsychological changes after a single high altitude climb.

 

Cavaletti G, Tredici G.

 

Department of Neurology, S. Gerardo Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Monza, Italy.

 

Acute neuropsychological changes due to high altitude climbing without supplementary oxygen are well known. However, many climbers report vague symptoms of brain dysfunction after return to sea level suggesting that long-lasting neuropsychological impairment may ensue even after a single ascent. In this study we evaluated a series of neuropsychological functions in a group of 11 climbers who ascended over 5000 m. Besides memory, also reaction time and concentration were less efficient when the climbers were evaluated 75 days after their return to sea level, confirming that even a single high altitude climb may be harmful for central nervous system functions.

 

*****************

 

 

All of these studies suffer from the problem that when you study the brain you don't really know what you are studying.

 

Which will keep 3rd-rate publishing needs supplied for some time to come.

 

 

[billbob]

Like, uh, uh, what he said.

 

Maybe this helps explain Meissner's Yeti sighting?

[CollinWoods]

I agree with them, but what sport esent bad for the brain, football is, diving can, most sports are. Well, maybe not golf but lets not hurt the writers feelings. Peace. Collin

[sobo]

esent

That is perhaps the single most creative manner I've seen yet for spelling "isn't".

Crackin' job, mate!

[CollinWoods]

¡¡¡Hey thanks i worked hard on dat one!!!

P.S

You know i cant spell, that was mean.

Edited October 22, 2008 by CollinWoods

[skybum47]

Gator, According to most of my friends and family climbers don't have brains to injure anyways!!!!I remember the show about steady Ed Veisturs and the MRIs taken before and after an Everest climb.......

[sobo]

You know i cant spell, that was mean.

Yes, I know. And yes, it was...

 

Chin up, lad. I's jus' fuk'n whicha.

[Fairweather]

So 3 of 9, 4 of 9 and especially 6 of 9 are all fairly damning.

So where do I fit in this mess???

the only good thing about voyager, the show where the chick captain got everybody lost

 

maybe climbing's bad for the brain 'cuz it pisses our wives off, who in turn take to slowly poisoning us w/ lead n' arsenic in our food?

 

When your wife asks who that was, just tell her it was seven of 9.