Into Thin Air

Climbing in high altitudes is an extreme physical challenge, especially as our bodies must adjust to lower oxygen levels. Mountaineers quickly ascending to over 8,000 feet risk developing acute mountain sickness (AMS), and in severe cases high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), a potentially fatal condition in which fluid enters the brain, causing it to swell. The sections of a rat’s brain shown here highlight two molecules involved in this dramatic response to oxygen deprivation: in green CRFR-1, a signal receptor, and in red AQP4, a channel than allows water into brain cells (in blue are cell nuclei). Signalling through CRFR-1 is linked to cerebral oedema in multiple ways, including by affecting AQP4 channels to increase cells’ permeability to water. As yet, HACE symptoms can only be alleviated by returning to lower ground, but a better understanding of the molecules involved could help develop more targeted treatments or preventative measures.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image from work by Shao-Jun Chen and colleagues
• Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China
• Originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Research published in PNAS, September 2014