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• Breathing low-oxygen air may help prevent and even reverse Parkinson's symptoms, even after substantial neurological damage has occurred. doi.org
  Brain Hypoxia Mitochondria Neurodegeneration Parkinson's

  Anecdotal reports from Parkinson's disease patients suggest that time spent at high altitudes, where oxygen is naturally lower, may bring unexpected relief from symptoms. Intrigued by this possibility, researchers designed an experiment to investigate the biological mechanisms that might explain it.

  The researchers began by injecting mice with preformed clumps of α-synuclein, a protein that misfolds, accumulates, and damages brain cells in Parkinson's disease. The animals were then housed in either normal air (21% oxygen) or reduced oxygen (11%). Continuous exposure to the lower oxygen level produced striking benefits:

  • Continuous low-oxygen exposure preserved neurons and prevented movement problems, even though harmful protein clumps still accumulated in the brain.

  • Starting low-oxygen treatment six weeks after symptom onset reversed existing movement and anxiety problems and halted further nerve cell loss. However, neuronal cells already lost were not restored, and protein clumps remained in the brain.

  The protective effects of low oxygen are backed by both mechanistic findings and supporting evidence from other animal models and epidemiological data:

  • Reduced brain hyperoxia: Misfolded protein clumps impair mitochondria, lowering oxygen use by brain cells and causing a buildup of unused oxygen (hyperoxia). This excess oxygen drives oxidative stress, promotes lipid peroxidation, and contributes to neuronal loss. Breathing less oxygen directly reduced this harmful excess.

  • Activation of protective genes: Low oxygen activates protective genetic pathways (HIF signaling pathway and lactate metabolism genes) that strengthen the brain's defenses against damage and stress.

  • Universal protective mechanism: Similar protective responses to low oxygen have been demonstrated in other animals, including C. elegans worms, suggesting a fundamental biological response.

  • Lower Parkinson's risk in smokers: Mildly reduced oxygen levels from carbon monoxide exposure in cigarette smoke might partially explain epidemiological observations of lower Parkinson's risk among smokers.

  These findings highlight a promising approach, suggesting carefully controlled low-oxygen environments could significantly benefit Parkinson's treatment strategies. However, it's important to note that this research is currently limited to animal models, and efficacy and safety in humans has not yet been demonstrated.

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• Heat shock proteins enhance elite cyclists' performance in low-oxygen conditions. www.sciencedaily.com
  Exercise Performance Heat Stress Cold Stress Hypoxia

  During exposure to temperature extremes or hypoxia (low oxygen levels), cells increase their expression of heat shock proteins to stabilize unfolded proteins and repair damaged ones. This phenomenon, referred to as the heat shock response, occurs at the expense of other cellular proteins to protect the cell. Evidence from a 2016 study suggests that the heat shock response enhances athletic performance in low-oxygen environments characteristic of high altitudes.

  The study involved 21 elite cyclists who engaged in ten 60-minute training sessions in either low-oxygen or hot conditions. Before and after the intervention, they performed a time trial, where researchers tested their tolerance to low-oxygen levels.

  The researchers found that training during heat exposure improved athletic performance nearly as well as low oxygen exposure. Expression of heat shock protein 72 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α, a protein that mediates the body’s response to low oxygen levels, increased in both scenarios.

  Heat-shock proteins comprise a large, highly conserved family of proteins that are present in all cells. They play prominent roles in many cellular processes, including immune function, cell signaling, and cell-cycle regulation. Cells maintain a constant level of HSPs to facilitate aspects of the protein synthesis machinery, including assembly, folding, export, turn-over, and regulation. However, stress can upregulate HSP production.

  These findings suggest that training in a hot environment enhances performance in low-oxygen settings. Learn more about heat exposure via sauna use in our comprehensive overview article.

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