Brain Imaging in Competitive Free Divers
Ralph Potkin, MD, Cedars Sinai Medical Center and the Beverly Hills Center for Hyperbaric Medicine, Los Angeles, California, Michael Uszler, MD,
Competitive Free Divers are exposed to repeated episodes of cerebral hypoxia. The long term neurologic consequences of such exposures are unknown but may be mitigated by the mammalian diving response, acclimatization and training. Abnormal MR imaging of the brain has been reported in symptomatic free divers, however there is no data on brain imaging in asymptomatic competitive free divers.
Subjects will undergo history and physical examinations followed by MR brain imaging followed by brain SPECT scans and analyzed according to a computerized algorithm.

We are soliciting subjects for this study. For further information, please contact Dr. Ralph Potkin at 310-551-1375 or e mail potkinr@aol.com.