Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 4-25-2025

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management

First Advisor

Paul Loprinzi

Second Advisor

Jeffery Bednark

Third Advisor

Alberto Del Arco

Relational Format

Tables

Abstract

This two-experiment project had the following goals: (Experiment 1) set the paradigm for what level of hypoxic exposure causes tangible and reproducible cognitive impairment, and (Experiment 2), if impairment is displayed, whether acute vigorous exercise has a protective effect against hypoxia’s impairment. Two randomized and counterbalanced studies were conducted in the Exercise and Memory lab at the University of Mississippi. In Experiment 1, 87 participants, averaging 21.1 years old, completed a Stroop task to assess their executive functions after 10-minute exposures to normoxia (FIO2 = 0.21), moderate hypoxia (FIO2 = 0.15), and severe hypoxia (FIO2 = 0.105). We demonstrated a cognitive deficit in participants’ cognition when comparing normoxic conditions to hypoxic conditions. In Experiment 2, 72 participants, averaging 19.9 years old, completed the same Stroop task after 10 minutes of either normoxia or hypoxia exposure following a 20-minute bout of exercise on a stationary bike at either 30% of their calculated Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) or 80% of their HRR. We reproduced the same cognitive impairment as seen in Experiment 1. However, results were inconclusive regarding a main effect exercise may have this impairment. Further research is needed to observe this proposed preventative effect exercise could have against hypoxic exposure.

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Available for download on Thursday, August 10, 2028

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