Simple oxygen therapy may enhance recovery for patients with brain injuries

Scientists studying the impact of oxygen supplementation on motor learning have found a promising treatment that could help patients who have experienced neurological trauma recover old skills.

The researchers recruited 40 participants, 20 of whom received 100% oxygen at normobaric pressure and 20 of whom received medical air (21% oxygen) through a nasal cannula during the ‘adaptation’ or learning phase of a task. They selected a simple visuomotor task that involved drawing lines between different targets on a digital tablet with a stylus: the task was designed to test how quickly the participants were able to integrate information from the eye and hand, a crucial part of motor learning. After the task had been learned, the alignment of the cursor and the stylus was altered to see how effectively the participants adapted to the inconsistency and then realigned for a final session to see how they adapted to the realignment.

The scientists found that the participants who had received oxygen learned faster and performed better, improvements which extended into later sessions of the task when oxygen was not administered. The oxygen group moved the pen more smoothly and more accurately, and when the cursor was adjusted in a deliberate attempt to throw them off, they adapted more quickly. They also made bigger mistakes when the alignment of the stylus was corrected.

Reference: Boost your brain: A simple 100% normobaric oxygen treatment improves human motor learning processes, Frontiers in Neuroscience, DOI 10.3389/fnins.2023.1175649