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The influence of a mild thermal challenge and severe hypoxia on exercise performance and serum BDNF

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Abstract

Aim

To examine the isolated and combined effects of severe hypoxia and a mild thermal challenge on performance, physiological measures, cognition, and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Methods

Nine trained male athletes (age: 23 ± 3 years; W max: 333 ± 45 W) completed four experimental trials (CON: 15 °C/0 m, ALT: 15 °C/3800 m, TEMP: 25 °C/0 m, ALT + TEMP: 25 °C/3800 m) in a double blind, randomized, cross-over design. Subjects cycled for 30 min in a self-paced test starting at 75 % W max, their goal was to ‘perform as much work as possible in 30 min.’ Power output, heart rate, blood lactate, pulse oximetry, core and skin temperature, thermal sensation, ratings of perceived exertion, reaction time (RT), and BDNF were assessed.

Results

The amount of work produced in 30 min was reduced by temperature (F(1,8) = 7.1; p = 0.029; 360 ± 19 kJ in 15 °C; 344 ± 18 kJ in 25 °C) and altitude (F(1,8) = 94.2; p < 0.001; 427 ± 24 kJ at sea level; 277 ± 15 kJ at altitude), yet there was no interaction effect. Altitude increased mean RT (F(1,8) = 8.0; p = 0.022; 281.9 ± 9.4 ms at sea level; 289.3 ± 10.0 ms at altitude) and RT variability (F(1,8) = 8.5; p = 0.020; 44 ± 3 ms at sea level: 50 ± 4 ms at altitude). Exercise increased BDNF (F(1,8) = 15.2; p = 0.005; PRE: 21.8 ± 1.3 ng/mL; POST: 26.5 ± 2.1 ng/mL).

Conclusion

Exercise capacity was significantly reduced due to an increase in altitude (3800 m; −34.3 %) or a 10 °C increase in ambient temperature (−3.2 %). The combination of both stressors showed to be additive (−38.0 %). Altitude induced an increase in RT and RT variability presenting a deterioration in cognitive functioning during acute hypoxia. Exercise significantly increased BDNF, but no effect of altitude on the BDNF concentration was observed.

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Abbreviations

A:

Acclimation

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

BDNF:

Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Bla:

Blood lactate

BBB:

Blood brain barrier

Bpm:

Beats per minute

HR:

Heart rate

PVT:

Psychomotor vigilance task

RPE:

Rating of perceived exertion

RT:

Reaction time

s:

Seconds

SaO2 :

Arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation

R:

Recovery

T core :

Core temperature

TMS:

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Tsens:

Thermal sensation

T skin :

Skin temperature

TT:

Time trial

VO2max:

Maximal oxygen uptake

W:

Watt

W max :

Maximal exercise ability

W out :

Workload of the last completed stage

WU:

Warm-up

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Acknowledgments

Bart Roelands is a post-doctoral fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research. We thank the Military Hospital Queen Astrid for the use of their infrastructure and personnel. We thank Matthias Verstraelen, Jennifer Bal, Maxime Tuerlinckx, and our subjects for their hard work during the experimental test period.

Conflicts of interest

No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the author(s).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Physiology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Jeroen Van Cutsem, Nathalie Pattyn, Kevin De Pauw, Cajsa Tonoli, Romain Meeusen & Bart Roelands

  2. Vital Signs and Performance Monitoring, Royal Military Academy, Brussels, Belgium

    Nathalie Pattyn

  3. Center for Aviation Medicine, Military Hospital Queen Astrid, Brussels, Belgium

    Dirk Vissenaeken & Gino Dhondt

  4. School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia

    Romain Meeusen

  5. Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO), Brussels, Belgium

    Bart Roelands

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  1. Jeroen Van Cutsem
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Correspondence to Bart Roelands.

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Communicated by George Havenith.

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Van Cutsem, J., Pattyn, N., Vissenaeken, D. et al. The influence of a mild thermal challenge and severe hypoxia on exercise performance and serum BDNF. Eur J Appl Physiol 115, 2135–2148 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3193-x

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