Long-term exposure to high altitude reduces alpha and beta bands event-related desynchronization in a Go/NoGo task

Abstract

More than 80 million people worldwide permanently live at high altitudes, and living in such a hypoxic environment can impair cognitive functions. However, it is largely unknown how long-term exposure to high altitude affects neural oscillations underlying these cognitive functions. The present study employed a Go/NoGo task to investigate the effects of long-term exposure to high altitude on neural oscillations during cognitive control. We compared event-related spectral perturbations between the low-altitude and high-altitude groups, and the results revealed increased theta event-related synchronization (ERS) and decreased alpha and beta event-related desynchronizations (ERDs) during the NoGo condition compared to the Go condition. Importantly, the high-altitude group showed reduced alpha and beta ERDs compared to the low-altitude group, while the theta ERS was not affected by altitude. We suggest that long-term exposure to high altitude has an impact on top-down inhibitory control and movement preparation and execution in the Go/NoGo task.