Impact of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Cognitive Functions: a Systematic Review

AbstractHyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a  modality of treatment in which patients inhale 100% oxygen inside a hyperbaric chamber pressurised to greater than 1 atmosphere. The aim of this review is to discuss neuropsychological findings in various neurological disorders treated with HBOT and to open new perspectives for therapeutic improve ment. A literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE (via PubMed) database from the inception up 10 May 2020. Eligibility criteria included original articles published in English. Case studies were excluded. Full-text articles were obtained from the selected studies and were reviewed on the follo wing inclusion criteria (1) performed cognitive processes assessment (2) performed HBOT with described protocol. Two neuropsychologists independently reviewed titles, abstracts, full texts and extracted data. The initial search retrieved 1024 articles, and a total of 42 studies were finally include d after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search yielded controversial results with regard to the efficiency of HBOT in various neurological conditions with cognitive disturbance outcome. To the best of our knowledge this is the first state-of-the art, systematic review in the field. M ore objective and precise neuropsychological assessment methods are needed to exact evaluation of the efficacy of HBOT for neuropsychological deficits. Future studies should widen the assessment of HBOT effects on different cognitive domains because ...
Source: Neuropsychology Review - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research