Cognitive performance in high altitude Andean residents compared to low altitude populations: from childhood to older age

Abstract

Objectives: To assess cognition in populations born and living at high (3700m) and low altitude (500m) in Bolivia, who were similar for both socio-economic status and genetic ancestry. To determine whether high altitude hypoxia influences cognitive decline across the life-span.

Method: In total, 191 healthy participants aged 4 to 85 years were assessed at high (N = 94; 33; 35% male) and low altitude (N = 97; 46, 47% male) on a battery of cognitive tasks: fluid intelligence, attention, short- and long-term memory and psychomotor speed. Saliva samples were obtained for evaluation of genetic ancestry.

Results: High altitude participants were significantly slower on measures of processing speed and speed of attention than individuals born and living at low altitude. High altitude participants had slightly higher percentage of native Andean ancestry than low altitude participants, but this was not associated with cognitive performance.

Conclusions: This is the first study of high altitude residence and neurocognition across the life-span. Given the physiological challenges of high altitude living, the impact on cognition appears to be subtle and related only to the speed of more complex cognitive operations, rather than to their accuracy. Moreover, the impact on cognition does not appear to differ with increasing age or for different degrees of genetic admixture. Further studies recruiting HA participants with a broader range of native Andean ancestry will help to address the issue of to what extent Amerindian ancestry provides neuroprotection to chronic hypoxia in those living at HA.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Catherine M. Hill: orcid.org/0000-0003-2372-5904

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