Introduction
metabolic acidosis, AMS, acidosis, cognitive impairment
METABOLIC ACIDOSIS, ACIDOSIS, ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS
Mountain areas are the second most popular tourist destination worldwide [Studies on effective medication against cognitive impairment at altitude are scant. Acetazolamide, a drug used in the prevention and treatment of acute mountain sickness (AMS), stimulates ventilation by inducing a metabolic acidosis via renal bicarbonate excretion and by tissue acidosis influencing central and peripheral chemoreceptors [Therefore, the current study aims to further investigate the effect of altitude and preventive acetazolamide treatment on cognitive performance in healthy individuals. We focused on visuomotor performance as this component of neurocognition is known to deteriorate even at moderately high altitudes, therefore being relevant for professionals and tourists alike. Furthermore, we studied people 40 years of age or older since more than half of all tourists belong to this age group [