Several studies of normobaric hyperoxia in neurological conditions have found positive results. The impaired energy metabolism due to mitochondrial dysfunction and frontal lobe hypofunction in schizophrenia might be improved by increasing O2 supply to the brain. Normobaric hyperoxia may be a potential treatment for schizophrenia. Participants in this study, outpatients with chronic schizophrenia and inhabitants of community-based psychiatric institutions (hostels), underwent baseline psychiatric/cognitive assessment and were randomly assigned to either a treatment intervention of oxygen-enriched air inhalation (normobaric hyperoxia of 40% fraction of inspired oxygen) or regular air inhalation (21% fraction of inspired oxygen), through a nasal tube, for 4 weeks. Patients were given the air/oxygen inhalations during the night (mainly while sleeping) for at least 7 hours a night. After completing 4 weeks of treatment, patients were switched (crossed over) to the other treatment intervention. Fifteen patients completed the entire study. Five additional patients completed phase A only. There was significant improvement in total Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale score of patients who received oxygen compared with the control group. There were positive effects of oxygen on memory and attention in neuropsychological performance tests. The effect size is small despite the statistical significance, but the patient group was extremely chronic and severely impaired. These results are a proof of concept, and normobaric hyperoxia should be studied in patients with milder forms of the illness and earlier in the course of illness.
Oxygen enriched air may increase oxygen pressure in brain tissue and have biochemical effects even in subjects without lung disease. Consistently, several studies demonstrated that normobaric oxygen treatment has clinical benefits in some neurological conditions. This study examined the efficacy of normobaric oxygen treatment in subjects with depression. In a randomized, double-blind trial, 55 participants aged 18–65 years with mild to moderate depression (had a Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HRSD] score of ≥ 8) were recruited to the study from the Southern district in Israel. Participants underwent a psychiatric inclusion assessment at baseline and then were randomly assigned to either normobaric oxygen treatment of 35% fraction of inspired oxygen or 21% fraction of inspired oxygen (room air) through a nasal tube, for 4 weeks, during the night. Evaluations were performed at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks after commencement of study interventions, using the following tools: HRSD; Clinical Global Impression (CGI) questionnaire; World Health Organization-5 questionnaire for the estimation of Quality of Life (WHO-5-QOL); Sense of Coherence (SOC) 13-item questionnaire; and, Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). A multivariate regression analysis showed that the mean ± standard deviation [SD] changes in the HRSD scores from baseline to week four were − 4.2 ± 0.3 points in the oxygen-treated group and − 0.7 ± 0.6 in the control group, for a between-group difference of 3.5 points (95% confidence interval [CI] − 5.95 to − 1.0; P = 0.007). Similarly, at week four there was a between-group difference of 0.71 points in the CGI score (95% CI − 1.00 to − 0.29; P = 0.001). On the other hand, the analysis revealed that there were no significant differences in WHO-5-QOL, SOC-13 or SDS scores between the groups. This study showed a significant beneficial effect of oxygen treatment on some symptoms of depression.Trial registration: NCT02149563 (29/05/2014).
IntroductionSeveral studies of normobaric hyperoxia in some neurological conditions have demonstrated clinical benefits. Oxygen enriched air may increase oxygen pressure in brain tissue and have biochemical effects such as on brain erythropoietin gene expression, even in patients without lung disease.ObjectivesThis pilot, randomized, double-blind study examined the efficacy of normobaric hyperoxia as a treatment for depression.MethodsFifty-five consenting patients aged 18-65 years with mild to moderate depression were included in the study. Participants underwent a psychiatric inclusion assessment and a clinical evaluation by a psychiatric nurse at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks after commencement of study intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to normobaric hyperoxia of 35% fraction of inspired oxygen or 21% fraction of inspired oxygen (room air), through a nasal tube, for 4 weeks, during the night. Patients were rated blindly using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD); Clinical Global Impression (CGI) questionnaire; Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS).Results The present study showed a significant improvement in HRSD (p<0.0001), CGI (p<0.01) and in SDS (p<0.05) among patients with depression who were treated with oxygen-enriched air, as compared to patients who were treated with room air. In CGI, 69% of the patients who were treated with oxygen-enriched air improved compared to 23% patients who were treated with room air.ConclusionsThis small pilot study showed a beneficial effect of normobaric hyperoxia on some symptoms of depression.DisclosureNo significant relationships.
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