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New research points out that the brains of individuals living at higher altitudes have a positive trend weaker when processing happy faces, which may explain the highest rates of depression and anxiety in mountainous zones.
A new published in the magazine Neuroscience found that prolonged exposure to high altitudes affects the brain’s ability to recognize faces and process emotions. Researchers found that individuals who lived at higher altitudes took longer to recognize expressions emotional and presented significant changes in brain activity related to facial processing.
The study compared Two groups of young adults: One that lived at a high altitude of 3658 meters in Tibet and one at a low 52 meter altitude in Beijing. Both groups performed a task that forced them to identify the genre of faces with happy, angry and neutral expressions, while their brain activity was monitored through electroencephalography (EEG).
Although both groups have done the task with the same accuracy, participants who lived at high altitudes were visibly slower In your answers, explains the.
EEG results revealed that high altitude individuals had lower amplitudes in two key components of brain waves: P1, associated with early visual attention, and N170, linked to structural facial codification. In addition, unlike the low altitude group, participants in high altitude no dominance of the right hemisphere During facial processing, indicating a changed brain organization due to high altitude conditions.
One of the most impressive discoveries was that the participants at high altitude present a weaker positive trend When processing happy faces. Normally, the brain shows a more intense response to happy expressions, but this effect was significantly reduced in the high altitude group.
This decrease in the positive trend could explain the higher rates of depression and anxiety Observed in high altitude populations, as individuals can be less sensitive to positive emotional signs, potentially leading to a more negative emotional perspective.
Previous investigations associated life at high altitude with a risk of depression, anxiety and cognitive deficiency due to the reduction of oxygen levels. Scientists believe that oxygen deprivation It affects regions of the brain such as front and temporal lobes, which are crucial to emotional regulation and social interactions. This last study provides more evidence that hypoxia conditions on high altitudes have a direct impact on brain functioning, particularly the recognition of emotions.
Despite their convincing conclusions, the investigators recognized some limitations. They did not directly measure participants’ depression or anxiety, which means that the connection between altered brain activity and mental health problems continues to be indirect. Future investigation should examine long -term effects on emotional recognition in individuals traveling to high altitudes.
