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Holding breath for several minutes elevates marker for brain damage
Date:8/3/2009

ers can remain underwater, how far they can swim underwater and how deep they can dive. Participants must undergo intense training to increase their lung capacity while learning crucial safety measures.

Breath-hold diving often leads to hypoxia, elevated blood pressure, slowed heartbeat and other physiological changes. However, whether the sport causes any long-term damage to the brain has remained a point of contention. Studies have produced conflicting results.

The authors of this study see cause for concern, noting that in six international competitions between 1998 and 2004, 10% of the contestants in the static apnea events were disqualified after they lost either motor control or consciousness. In this event, participants float face down on the water for as long as possible without coming up for air. The world record for the event is 11 minutes 35 seconds. Divers at international competitions routinely hold their breath 4-7 minutes.

"Whether such hypoxic episodes are associated with a risk for brain damage in these athletes remains to be established," the researchers said. "Studying the changes in established biochemical markers of brain damage after such performances offers the possibility to address this question."

Breath hold experiment

Nine competitive breath-hold divers (eight men and one woman) took part in this study, along with six individuals who had limited experience with breath-hold diving. The nine competitive divers formed the experimental group, while the non-divers acted as the controls.

The researchers told the participants to lie on their backs on a cot and hold their breath for as long as possible. The conditions were dry, but mimicked a static apnea dive in which the divers float face down holding their breath. The divers used whatever preparatory techniques they customarily use in competition, such as hyperventilating, insufflation (filling the lungs with as much air as possible)
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Contact: Christine Guilfoy
cguilfoy@the-aps.org
301-634-7253
American Physiological Society
Source:Eurekalert

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