After 60 HBOT sessions, adults aged 64 and above showed improvements in attention and information-processing speed.
A randomised trial of 63 healthy adults aged 64 and above found greater improvement with HBOT than the control group did. The strongest gains were in maintaining attention and working through information quickly—abilities that matter when following a conversation or concentrating on a task. [1]
| No. | Article | Year |
|---|---|---|
| [1] | Hadanny et al., Aging | 2020 |
A three-month trial compared HBOT with a group receiving no sessions.
Hadanny et al. randomly assigned 63 independently living older adults to HBOT or a control group. The HBOT group completed 60 sessions over three months, five days a week. Each used 100% oxygen at 2 ATA for 90 minutes, with a five-minute air break every 20 minutes. [1]
Computerised tests assessed attention, processing speed, memory, and other cognitive abilities before the course and one to two weeks afterwards. Scores were standardised for age and education. Researchers also measured brain blood flow and quality of life.
The control group received no intervention. Assessors were blinded to group allocation, but participants knew whether they were receiving HBOT.
Better attention and faster processing were the clearest gains.
Average attention scores rose from 102.9 to 108.9 in the HBOT group, compared with 100.0 to 101.1 in controls. Processing-speed scores rose from 107.9 to 116.0, while controls changed from 104.4 to 104.0. These are test-score changes, rather than percentages. [1]
Attention helps you stay with a task; processing speed describes how quickly you take in and respond to information. The study provides measured evidence of improvement in those abilities in healthy older adults.
Participants also reported better energy levels, and some brain regions showed increased blood flow. Attention and processing speed remain the clearest cognitive findings after correction for multiple comparisons.
HBOT improved attention and information-processing speed.
This trial connects HBOT with improved attention and faster information processing in healthy older adults. For someone interested in maintaining mental sharpness, those are useful abilities to understand and follow.
An HBOT cocoon® is a wellness system. Explore the format comparison to understand pressure and oxygen delivery, or continue to the Longevity guide for research on cellular-ageing markers.
A linked DOI opens the original paper on the publisher site.
- A. Hadanny et al., "Cognitive enhancement of healthy older adults using hyperbaric oxygen: A randomized controlled trial," Aging, vol. 12, no. 13, pp. 13740-13761, 2020, doi: 10.18632/aging.103571
