14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new scientific study, holding your breath for even a couple of minutes significantly increases the number of markers for brain damage in the body. However, the scientists who made the find say, the S100B protein seems to disappear shortly afterwards, which leaves some questions as to whether voluntary apnea (holding your breath on purpose) can cause severe and long-lasting effects on the human brain. Other details of the new investigation appear in the latest issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.
“The results indicate that prolonged, voluntary apnea affects the integrity of the central nervous system, and may have cumulative effects,” the Swedish research team that was behind the new paper indicates, e! Science News informs. Additionally, it reveals, the levels of the marker appear to be elevated within the blood stream as well, which would seem to indicate that prolonged apnea can cause damage to the blood-brain barrier, an indispensable obstacle that keeps pathogens and other contaminants in the blood away from the brain. In charge of the new research were Johan P.A. Andersson, Mats H. Liner and Henrik Jonsson, all from the Lund University, in Sweden.
The scientists worry that athletes practicing sports such as diving and swimming could expose themselves to a heightened risk of suffering from the cumulative effects of prolonged oxygen deprivation to the brain. When the cortex lacks oxygen, hypoxia occurs, which is oftentimes fatal. Even if the patients survive, such as those who drown, but are pulled out of the water and brought back to life, there are large chances that some of their brain functions are lost to them forever.
“Whether such hypoxic episodes are associated with a risk for brain damage in these athletes remains to be established. Studying the changes in established biochemical markers of brain damage after such performances offers the possibility to address this question,” the experts write in their studies. The study, which can be found here, has also revealed that:
1. The average breath-hold time was of five minutes and 35 seconds. The longest was of six minutes and 43 seconds and the shortest was of four minutes and 41 seconds. 2. The marker for brain damage, S100B, rose in seven of the nine divers. 3. The controls showed no change in S100B. 4. On average, S100B rose 37% within ten minutes after the apnea ended. 5. S100B levels returned to normal within two hours for all the participants. 6. The divers showed signs of asphyxia, that is, blood oxygen levels fell, while carbon dioxide levels rose.