At high altitude, even an educated person is uncomfortable because of a decrease in physical strength. In conditions of a reduced concentration of oxygen, the drop in physical parameters does not depend on the muscles, but on the brain. As it turned out, in this way the brain tries to prevent overexertion, writes New Scientist.

Emma Ross from the University of Brighton, along with colleagues, gathered a group of 11 people. The volunteers were asked to perform exercises on the muscles, involving the extension of the knees. At first, volunteers breathed normal air with 21% oxygen content, and then air with oxygen concentration equal to 16%, 13% and 10%. As the concentration of oxygen decreased, the participants of the experiment were more and more reluctant to carry out the assignment, as the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. Net To understand what the role of the brain is here, the scientists repeated the experiment, but added non-invasive brain stimulation in order to generate signals from the motor cortex, causing the contraction of the knee muscles.

As a result, the force experienced by the volunteers themselves was compared, and the force fixed during the stimulation.

The result was as follows: the brain determines the muscle fatigue by 18% with normal oxygen concentration, 25% - with mild and moderate hypoxia and 54% - with severe hypoxia. As experiments showed later, over time the brain is able to adapt to changed conditions and gradually reduce its role in terms of muscle fatigue.

News. Gradusnik. En.