Cognitive Functioning In Long-Duration Head-Down Bed Rest

Seaton, Kimberly A.; Slack, Kelley J.; Sipes, Walter A.; Bowie, Kendra E.

doi:10.3357/asem.br09.2009

Cited by 20 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The bed rest program is a framework designed by NASA that offers researchers from various backgrounds the possibility to study bed rest as an experimental analog for space flight because extended exposure to a head-down tilt position can duplicate many of the effects of a low-gravity environment [48,60]. Participants will be recruited through the bed rest facility located at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, TX) and will participate in several studies as long as they are not interfering with each other.…”

Section: Design/methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Under these conditions, the effects of microgravity such as unloading, reduced sensory inputs, and increased cephalic fluid distribution can be studied apart from other spaceflight effects on the brain. At this point, only two studies have investigated the effect of bed rest on cognitive functioning [48,49]. These studies have not revealed significant adverse cognitive effects of bed rest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Study protocol to examine the effects of spaceflight and a spaceflight analog on neurocognitive performance: extent, longevity, and neural bases

et al. 2013

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BackgroundLong duration spaceflight (i.e., 22 days or longer) has been associated with changes in sensorimotor systems, resulting in difficulties that astronauts experience with posture control, locomotion, and manual control. The microgravity environment is an important causal factor for spaceflight induced sensorimotor changes. Whether spaceflight also affects other central nervous system functions such as cognition is yet largely unknown, but of importance in consideration of the health and performance of crewmembers both in- and post-flight. We are therefore conducting a controlled prospective longitudinal study to investigate the effects of spaceflight on the extent, longevity and neural bases of sensorimotor and cognitive performance changes. Here we present the protocol of our study.Methods/designThis study includes three groups (astronauts, bed rest subjects, ground-based control subjects) for which each the design is single group with repeated measures. The effects of spaceflight on the brain will be investigated in astronauts who will be assessed at two time points pre-, at three time points during-, and at four time points following a spaceflight mission of six months. To parse out the effect of microgravity from the overall effects of spaceflight, we investigate the effects of seventy days head-down tilted bed rest. Bed rest subjects will be assessed at two time points before-, two time points during-, and three time points post-bed rest. A third group of ground based controls will be measured at four time points to assess reliability of our measures over time. For all participants and at all time points, except in flight, measures of neurocognitive performance, fine motor control, gait, balance, structural MRI (T1, DTI), task fMRI, and functional connectivity MRI will be obtained. In flight, astronauts will complete some of the tasks that they complete pre- and post flight, including tasks measuring spatial working memory, sensorimotor adaptation, and fine motor performance. Potential changes over time and associations between cognition, motor-behavior, and brain structure and function will be analyzed.DiscussionThis study explores how spaceflight induced brain changes impact functional performance. This understanding could aid in the design of targeted countermeasures to mitigate the negative effects of long-duration spaceflight.

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Section: Design/methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study protocol to examine the effects of spaceflight and a spaceflight analog on neurocognitive performance: extent, longevity, and neural bases

et al. 2013

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“…Per NASA protocol, all astronauts on ISS missions participate in the Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) battery, which was developed by NASA as a sensitive screening tool for astronauts to monitor their neurocognitive status while in space and to alert NASA flight surgeons to any alterations in astronaut performance. 8,9 Because WinSCAT testing was not NASA protocol for Shuttle flights, no data were available for Shuttle astronauts. The WinSCAT is composed of 5 subtests that characterize visual search, processing speed/efficiency, and learning (Code Substitution, CDS); memory (Code Substitution Delayed Recognition, CCD); working memory (Delayed Matching to Sample, MSP); arithmetic (Mathematical Processing, MTH); and sustained attention (Continuous Performance, CPT).…”

Section: Cognitive Performance: Changes In the Spaceflight Cognitive mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prolonged Microgravity Affects Human Brain Structure and Function

Roberts

Asemani²,

Nietert³

et al. 2019

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol

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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Widespread brain structural changes are seen following extended spaceflight missions. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether these structural changes are associated with alterations in motor or cognitive function. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Brain MR imaging scans of National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronauts were retrospectively analyzed to quantify pre-to postflight changes in brain structure. Local structural changes were assessed using the Jacobian determinant. Structural changes were compared with clinical findings and cognitive and motor function. RESULTS:Long-duration spaceflights aboard the International Space Station, but not short-duration Space Shuttle flights, resulted in a significant increase in total ventricular volume (10.7% versus 0%, P , .001, n = 12 versus n = 7). Total ventricular volume change was significantly associated with mission duration (r = 0.72, P = .001, n = 19) but negatively associated with age (r = À0.48, P = .048, n = 19). Long-duration spaceflights resulted in significant crowding of brain parenchyma at the vertex. Pre-to postflight structural changes of the left caudate correlated significantly with poor postural control; and the right primary motor area/midcingulate correlated significantly with a complex motor task completion time. Change in volume of 3 white matter regions significantly correlated with altered reaction times on a cognitive performance task (bilateral optic radiations, splenium of the corpus callosum). In a post hoc finding, astronauts who developed spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome demonstrated smaller changes in total ventricular volume than those who did not (12.8% versus 6.5%, n = 8 versus n = 4). CONCLUSIONS:While cautious interpretation is appropriate given the small sample size and number of comparisons, these findings suggest that brain structural changes are associated with changes in cognitive and motor test scores and with the development of spaceflight-associated neuro-optic syndrome.

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“…However, there were no significant effects of bed rest on the functional stretch reflex and on balance control parameters associated with computerized dynamic posturography (Reschke et al, 2009). Cognitive functioning, assessed by a self-administered battery of tests used on the International Space Station, does not appear to be adversely affected by long-duration head-down bed rest (Seaton et al, 2009). It has been proposed that body unloading long-duration head-down bed rest might serve as an exclusionary analog to differentiate proprioceptive and somatosensory changes from graviceptor changes in post-spaceflight sensorimotor behavior (Reschke et al, 2009).…”

Section: Short-radius Centrifugationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial gravity as a countermeasure for mitigating physiological deconditioning during long-duration space missions

Clément

Bukley

Paloski

2015

Front. Syst. Neurosci.

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In spite of the experience gained in human space flight since Yuri Gagarin’s historical flight in 1961, there has yet to be identified a completely effective countermeasure for mitigating the effects of weightlessness on humans. Were astronauts to embark upon a journey to Mars today, the 6-month exposure to weightlessness en route would leave them considerably debilitated, even with the implementation of the suite of piece-meal countermeasures currently employed. Continuous or intermittent exposure to simulated gravitational states on board the spacecraft while traveling to and from Mars, also known as artificial gravity, has the potential for enhancing adaptation to Mars gravity and re-adaptation to Earth gravity. Many physiological functions are adversely affected by the weightless environment of spaceflight because they are calibrated for normal, Earth’s gravity. Hence, the concept of artificial gravity is to provide a broad-spectrum replacement for the gravitational forces that naturally occur on the Earth’s surface, thereby avoiding the physiological deconditioning that takes place in weightlessness. Because researchers have long been concerned by the adverse sensorimotor effects that occur in weightlessness as well as in rotating environments, additional study of the complex interactions among sensorimotor and other physiological systems in rotating environments must be undertaken both on Earth and in space before artificial gravity can be implemented.

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Cognitive Functioning In Long-Duration Head-Down Bed Rest

Cited by 20 publications

References 2 publications

Study protocol to examine the effects of spaceflight and a spaceflight analog on neurocognitive performance: extent, longevity, and neural bases

Study protocol to examine the effects of spaceflight and a spaceflight analog on neurocognitive performance: extent, longevity, and neural bases

Prolonged Microgravity Affects Human Brain Structure and Function

Artificial gravity as a countermeasure for mitigating physiological deconditioning during long-duration space missions

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