Human Physiological Adaptation and Performance in Extreme Environments

Exercise physiology examines how the human body responds to environmental and physical stress, providing essential insights into performance, health, and safety in demanding conditions. Extreme environments (including heat, cold, hypoxia, hyperbaric and hypobaric pressure, dehydration, prolonged exertion, and combinations of these stressors) challenge thermoregulation, cardiovascular and respiratory function, metabolism, neuromuscular performance, cognition, and recovery. Recent research has advanced understanding of acclimation, individual variability, hydration and nutritional requirements, fatigue, sleep disruption, and the physiological limits of human performance. However, important questions remain regarding the interaction between environmental stressors, the transferability of laboratory findings to real-world settings, and the factors that explain why individuals differ in their capacity to adapt. Further investigation is needed to integrate mechanistic physiology with applied performance outcomes and to develop reliable, evidence-based strategies for athletes and other populations exposed to extreme conditions. This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying human adaptation and performance in extreme environments, with particular emphasis on their relevance to exercise physiology and sport. It will examine how environmental stressors influence exercise capacity, endurance, neuromuscular function, cognition, decision-making, fatigue, recovery, and safety. Contributions may address the effects of single or combined environmental challenges and explore how sex, age, training status, health, genetics, previous exposure, and other sources of individual variability shape adaptation. The Research Topic also seeks to evaluate strategies that enhance preparedness, resilience, and performance, including acclimation protocols, training approaches, nutritional and hydration interventions, recovery methods, wearable technologies, environmental monitoring, and personalised preparation programmes. To gather further insights into physiological adaptation and performance in extreme environments, this Research Topic will focus on exercise-related responses in controlled, field, occupational, military, and sporting contexts, while recognising the limitations of translating findings across populations and environments. We welcome original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, brief research reports, methods papers, perspectives, and other relevant contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Thermoregulation and heat adaptation• Cold exposure, cold acclimation, and peripheral responses• Hypoxia, altitude adaptation, and oxygen transport• Hyperbaric and hypobaric pressure• Cardiovascular and respiratory responses to environmental stress• Metabolic adaptation and substrate utilisation• Hydration, fluid balance, and electrolyte management• Sleep, circadian disruption, and recovery in extreme environments• Exercise capacity, endurance, and fatigue• Neuromuscular function and motor performance• Cognition, decision-making, and psychophysiological resilience• Individual variability and personalised adaptation strategies• Acclimation protocols and environmental training methods• Nutritional and hydration strategies for performance and safety• Wearable technologies and physiological monitoring• Environmental monitoring and exposure assessment• Recovery interventions and return-to-performance strategies• Performance and safety in athletes, military personnel, emergency responders,expedition teams, and workers in demanding environmentsAccepted article types: Original Research, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, Brief ResearchReport, Methods Article, Perspective, Review, Mini Review, Hypothesis and Theory, GeneralCommentary, Opinion, and Conceptual Analysis. Topic editors: Yasuki Sekiguchi, Marcos Keefe Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86411/human-physiological-adaptation-and-performance-in-extreme-environments