The relationships among cerebral hypoxia, cognition, and psychomotor task performances prior to the gravity-induced loss of consciousness

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among cerebral hypoxia, cognition, and psychomotor task performances prior to the onset of gravity-induced loss of consciousness (pre-G-LOC). Pre-G-LOC represented the time period starting with no acceleration exposure, known as the rest time (when the experiment starts), ending with the onset of gravity-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC). The theoretical background was multidisciplinary. Raw data was collected from the 2006-2007 archived database about the experiments conducted at the Dynamic Environment Simulator Centrifuge Facility (DESCF) located at an Air Force Base (AFB) in the Mideast region of the United States. Multiple correlation and regression analyses were performed to explore the relationships among the pre-G-LOC cerebral hypoxia (measured as cerebral oxygen saturation level, rSO2 %), cognition, and psychomotor task performances prior to the G-LOC onset. Statistically significant data indicated a strong relationship among the cerebral hypoxia, cognition, and psychomotor tasked performances. Both the cognitive and psychomotor variables, evaluated in rapport to the rSO2 %, had significant power to predict the onset of G-LOC. This study represented a novel step toward introducing a multi-scientific dual theoretical framework to investigate the pre-G-LOC cascade of cognitive/psychomotor brain functions before the total loss of physiologic consciousness. The complexity of the pre-G-LOC multiple regression model called for further evaluation of additional factors that may be acting on the existing data. This study unveiled new educational information in support of future research investigations aiming at developing novel, practical, and adaptive anti-G safety devices to protect both the pilots and their tactical aircraft from the deadly effects of G-LOC.