A Proposed Mechanism for Hypobaria Induced Neuronal Injury: A Swine Model

Abstract : Non-hypoxic hypobaric exposure in Air Force U-2 pilots and hypobaric chamber personnel is associated with increased brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and decrements in neurocognitive processing. The mechanism for this is unknown. We hypothesized that if injury is due to diffuse axonal degradation, this would manifest as changes in unrestricted water diffusion and be demonstrable through diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), utilizing advanced techniques such as multi-b-value diffusion (Q-space) and kurtosis anisotropy. We developed a swine model to test this theory.