Did Michael Jackson have some deeper understanding of brain chemistry when he
took to the oxygen tent? Perhaps, if recent research from North East England is
anything to go by.
Andrew Scholey and Mark Moss of the University of Northumbria at
Newcastle have found that breathing this simple but vital substance might
actually enhance mental performance. At the British Psychological Society's
London Conference in December the researchers described tests that demonstrated
that a whiff of oxygen beforehand can improve success in cognitive tests such
short-term memory, attention and reaction-time tests. The team used a
computerised assessment system developed by Keith Wesnes of
Reading University. They gave volunteers
oxygen to breath for just thirty seconds or a minute before carrying out various
mental tests.
It is well known that the brain is far more metabolically active than
would be expected based on its weight and it accounts for twenty to thirty
percent of the body's base level metabolism but only two percent of body weight.
The basic metabolic process is the break down of glucose using oxygen to
provide adenosine triphosphate - the cells' energy currency. In diseases such as
diabetes and old age (if that can be described as a disease) the glucose levels
available to the brain is compromised and, according to Scholey, cognitive
impairment can occur because of this. He adds that travelling to high altitudes
where the air is rarified can also have similar effects on the mind. Anyone who
has sat through a stuffy lecture where the air has become thin can probably
vouch for the mind- numbing effects of oxygen deprivation too.
Scholey and his team decided to quantify the effects and found that
numerous tests such as recalling word lists and reaction times could all be
improved by breathing oxygen before the test.
Scholey points out that many so-called "smart drugs" are thought to work
by increasing oxygen availability to the brain. This hints that even in healthy
individuals improved delivery and enhanced metabolism can boost brain power. He
adds that he is currently organising a symposium Fuel for thought: nutrition,
metabolism and cognition that will address the issue of the effects of glucose
and oxygen on psychological functioning.