Mechanisms underlying the health benefits of intermittent hypoxia conditioning.

Intermittent hypoxia (IH) is commonly associated with pathological conditions, particularly obstructive sleep apnoea. However, IH is also increasingly used to enhance health and performance and is emerging as a potent non-pharmacological intervention against numerous diseases. Whether IH is detrimental or beneficial for health is largely determined by the intensity, duration, number and frequency of the hypoxic exposures and by the specific responses they engender.

Intermittent Hypoxic Training as an Effective Tool for Increasing the Adaptive Potential, Endurance and Working Capacity of the Brain.

This review is devoted to the phenomenon of intermittent hypoxic training and is aimed at drawing the attention of researchers to the necessity of studying the mechanisms mediating the positive, particularly neuroprotective, effects of hypoxic training at the molecular level. The review briefly describes the historical aspects of studying the beneficial effects of mild hypoxia, as well as the use of hypoxic training in medicine and sports. The physiological mechanisms of hypoxic adaptation, models of hypoxic training and their effectiveness are summarized, giving examples of their beneficial effects in various organs including the brain.

Comparative Analysis of Pathobiochemical Changes in Major Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Comparative analysis of available literature data on the pathogenetic neuroendocrine mechanisms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is provided in this review to identify their common features and differences. We discuss the multidirectional modifications of the activity of cortical and subcortical structures of the brain, levels of neurotransmitters and their receptors, and functions of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in depression and PTSD. The analysis shows that these disorders are examples of opposite failures in the system of adaptive stress response of the body to stressful psychotraumatic events.

The effect of preconditioning on the Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase expression and enzyme activity in rat brain at the early period after severe hypobaric hypoxia.

Severe hypoxia results in functional and structural injury of the brain. A preconditioning with repetitive episodes of mild hypoxia considerably ameliorates neuronal resistance to subsequent severe hypoxia. Activation of endogenous antioxidants including Cu, Zn-depending superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD) (EC.

The augmentation of brain thioredoxin-1 expression after severe hypobaric hypoxia by the preconditioning in rats.

Induction of endogenous antioxidants is one of the key molecular mechanisms of cell resistance to hypoxia/ischemia. The effect of severe hypoxia on the expression of cytosolic antioxidant thioredoxin-1 (Trx) in hippocampus and neocortex was studied in preconditioned and non-preconditioned rats. The preconditioning consisted of three trials of mild hypobaric hypoxia (360 Torr, 2 h) spaced at 24 h.

Preconditioning enhances the expression of mitochondrial antioxidant thioredoxin-2 in the forebrain of rats exposed to severe hypobaric hypoxia.

The impact of severe hypoxia and preconditioning on the expression of the mitochondrial antioxidant thioredoxin-2 (Trx-2) in rat hippocampus (CA1, CA2, CA3 fields, and dentate gyrus) and neocortex was studied by immunocytochemistry. The preconditioning consisted of three trials of mild hypobaric hypoxia (360 Torr, 2 hr) spaced at 24 hr. The last trial was followed by severe hypobaric hypoxia (180 Torr, 3 hr) 24 hr later.