A single exposure to 100% normo-baric oxygen therapy appears to improve sequence learning processes by increasing prefrontal cortex oxygen saturation

Zheng Wang; Brian A Irving; Guillaume Spielmann; Neil Johannsen; Frank Greenway; Marc Dalecki

doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148962

A single exposure to 100% normo-baric oxygen therapy appears to improve sequence learning processes by increasing prefrontal cortex oxygen saturation

Brain Res. 2024 Apr 25:1837:148962. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148962. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zheng Wang¹, Brian A Irving², Guillaume Spielmann², Neil Johannsen², Frank Greenway³, Marc Dalecki⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Electronic address: wang.zheng2@mayo.edu.
² School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
³ Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
⁴ School of Kinesiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA; German University of Health and Sports, Berlin, Germany.

PMID: 38670479
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148962

Abstract

Previously, we showed that a normo-baric 100 % oxygen treatment (NbOxTr) enhances motor learning processes, e.g., visuomotor adaptation (VMA) and sequence learning (SL). However, this work was limited to behavioral outcomes and did not identify the physiological mechanistic underpinnings of these improvements. Here, we expand on this research to investigate the effects of a NbOxTr on the oxygen tissue saturation index (TSI) level of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) when performing a SL task and whether potential SL improvements relate to increased TSI levels in the PFC. Twenty four right-handed young, healthy adults were randomly assigned to a NbOxTr group (normo-baric 100 % oxygen, n = 12) or a control group (normal air, n = 12). They received their respective treatments via a nasal cannula during the experiment. Oxygen TSI levels of the right and left PFC were measured via near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) throughout different SL task phases (Baseline, Training, Testing). The NbOxTr increased the TSI of the PFC in the Training phase (p < 0.01) and positively affected SL retention in the Testing phase (p < 0.05). We also found a positive correlation between TSI changes in the right PFC during the gas treatment phase (3.4 % increase) and response time (RT) improvements in the SL task training and retention phase (all p < 0.05). Our results suggest that a simple NbOxTr increases the oxygenated hemoglobin availability in the PFC, which appears to mediate the retention of acquired SL improvements in healthy young adults. Future studies should examine treatment-related oxygenation changes in other brain areas involved and their relation to enhanced learning processes. Whether this NbOxTr improves SL in neurologically impaired populations should also be examined.