Effect of Supplemental Oxygen Therapy on Neurocognitive Performance in Healthy Highlanders

Status

Not yet recruiting

Phases

Phase 4

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07651917

Acronym

SPIRIT_1

Enrollment

Registered

2026-06-16

Start date

2026-06-18

Completion date

2026-07-31

Last updated

2026-06-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Neurocognition

Keywords

Hypoxia, Altitude, Supplemental oxygen therapy

Brief summary

Exposure to high altitudes, defined as locations above 2500 m, has been shown to cause cognitive alternations due to reduced blood oxygenation (SpO2). However, it remains to be determined whether cognitive changes are present in highlanders living at moderate altitudes (2500 m) and whether cognitive alterations are reversible with supplemental oxygen therapy (SOT).

Interventions

DRUGSupplemental oxygen therapy

5 L/min supplemental oxygen therapy administered through nasal canula.

OTHERSham intervention

5 L/min sham intervention administered through nasal canula.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Signed written consent * Age \>18 * Kyrgyz ethnicity * Born, raised and living at approximately 2500 m * Native or fluent in Russian language

Exclusion criteria

* Severe disease such as unstable hypertension, coronary heart disease, pulmonary diseases, others. * Regular use of medication that interfere with sleep or breathing such as benzodiazepines, opioids, acetazolamide * Heavy smoking of \>20 cigarettes per day * Not able to read or adhere to the study protocol

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Psychomotor vigilance reaction time	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the reaction time during a 10-minute psychomotor vigilance test between SOT and Sham intervention.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Trail making test performance	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the trial making test A performance between SOT and Sham intervention.
Stroop test performance	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the stroop test performance between SOT and Sham intervention.
Digit Span test performance	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the digit span test performance between SOT and Sham intervention.
Go / No-Go test performance	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the Go / No-Go test performance between SOT and Sham intervention.
N-back test performance	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the n-back test performance between SOT and Sham intervention.
Task Switching Cued test performance	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the task switching cued test performance between SOT and Sham intervention.
Flanker test performance	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the Flanker test performance between SOT and Sham intervention.
Corsi Span test performance	Comparison between SOT and sham after 15 minutes intervention	The difference in the Corsi span test performance between SOT and Sham intervention.

Contacts

CONTACTMichael Furian, Prof. Dr.

michael.furian@usz.ch+41794037586

CONTACTEdith M Schneider, Dr.

edith.schneidergasser@usz.ch

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMichael Furian

University of Zurich

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOREdith M Schneider, Dr.