Acute Intermittent Hypoxia Induces Motor and Cognitive Plasticity in Persons with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
Milap S. Sandhu et al.
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Background: Although research has shown that repeated and modest reduction in oxygen partial pressure in the inspired air (termed acute intermittent hypoxia, or AIH) can enhance neuroplasticity, physical limitations can make it difficult to induce this state through exercise in people with MS (PwMS).
This Study: This RCT demonstrates that artificially induced AIH resulted in significant increases in both plantarflexion and dorsiflexion ankle torque (p < .05), alongside significant enhancements in cognitive processing speeds as measured by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (p < .01) after AIH.
Bottom Line: AIH may provide a valuable addition to conventional physical therapy for PwMS.
