A longitudinal neuroimaging study in mice on the effects of chronic high altitude exposure and repetitive traumatic brain injury

Chronic exposure to high altitude (HA) can lead to maladaptive physiological and pathological changes, resulting in an increased risk for neurological impairment. Whether the occurrence of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) at HA exacerbates neurobehavioral deficits remains uncertain. A series of experiments was conducted to test the impact of mTBI in the context of HA using established models of repetitive close head injury and simulated HA (5000m). A longitudinal study design was applied to identify the effects of chronic HA exposure (12 weeks) and mTBI in mice on neurobehavioral and neuroimaging biomarkers using PET and MRI.