Discussion: Does exercise induced oxygen debt kill brain cells?

High altitude mountaineering kills brain cells.

Do high intensity aerobic activities have a similar affect?

I'd be surprised if exercise alone was able to really induce a severe enough hypoxia. Of course, I have nothing to back that up, no sources at all. Also, it seems like it would be self correcting... if you were exercising enough to decrease the amount of oxygen flowing to the brain the brain would lose consciousness and you'd decrease the rate of exercise and thus the rate of oxygen consumption.

Also, doesn't the buffalo theory of brain cells apply. Hypoxia should kill off the slow, weak, and aging brain cells first allowing the rest of the herd to function more efficiently.

High altitude mountaineering also give you a bunch of other symptoms, like vision problems, headaches, and mental whackoutedness. I don't know of anybody who exercises hard enough to induce symptoms like that for any extended period of time.

The thing is, I think the body is set up to route oxygen to the brain and deprive the muscles if there's not enough to go around. At high altitude, there's little enough oxygen that there's not enough for the brain even when the muscles are getting a slim ration. At normal altitudes the brain gets its share first, I believe.

(Some people claim that the buffalo theory applies when drinking beer, so that beer drinking makes you smarter...)

as long as buffalo remain

I detect a Cheers fan in the house...