NASA to conduct spaceflight research to better understand astronaut stress in low-gravity environments

In an effort to learn more about how the human body responds to stress in long-term, low-gravity environments, NASA is conducting several investigations aboard the International Space Station as part of its One-Year Mission.

Astronauts face unique stresses, as they are isolated for long periods of time while conducting critical jobs under tight deadlines. They are exposed to microgravity, radiation, unusual light-dark cycles, higher levels of carbon dioxide, changes in nutrition and constant noise, according to a press release.

During NASA’s One-Year Mission, five behavioral health investigations will be conducted to better understand how the brain responds to stress and fatigue in space.

A cognition investigation will measure how physical changes related to spaceflight can affect cognitive performance. Astronauts will complete 10 cognitive tests assessing different brain regions. Using this data, researchers will develop a software-based toolkit to test future astronauts’ comprehension, memory, attention and reasoning in real-time, assess sensitivity to fatigue, establish a sense of normal test scores for astronauts and determine if assessment is feasible in space flight.

A sleep monitoring investigation will assess how astronauts manage sleep and how space affects circadian rhythm. Astronauts will wear a wrist-based Actiwatch Spectrum that records activity and the ambient light they experience. Researchers expect this investigation will help establish light requirements, sleep-shift protocols and workload plans for future, long-term missions.

In a neuromapping investigation, astronauts will undergo behavioral assessments and MRI scans before and after space missions to assess potential changes in neurocognitive function and structure. Researchers will also measure how long it takes to recover from potential changes.

Astronauts’ diary entries will be analyzed in a journals investigation to determine how crew members emotionally and psychologically adjust to a spaceflight environment.

To measure fatigue, astronauts will periodically complete a 5-minute reaction-time test on a computer to assess changes in response. The results will inform researchers of astronauts’ cognitive performance levels and how sleep loss and circadian disruption affect performance while on space station missions.

“Stress on earth is serious business, so imagine the stressors an astronaut faces when he or she is confined on a space craft, separated from family and friends in weightlessness for a long duration. As we prepare for future missions to asteroids, Mars and beyond, it is critical that we have a full understanding of these effects as well as methods to monitor astronauts’ responses to isolation, noise and radiation exposure and their effects on group dynamics, sleep cycles and general well-being,” John B. Charles, PhD, of NASA’s Human Research Program, said in a video posted by NASA.

For more information:

Visit http://www.nasa.gov to learn more about NASA’s One-Year Mission.