Short Title:
CBS VNSCOR #2: Effects of GCRsim/HU/ICE on Immune, Performance with Dietary CM Dev (Ronca)
Responsible HRP Element:
Human Factors and Behavioral Performance
Collaborating Org(s):
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Human Health Countermeasures (HHC) Element |
Space Radiation (SR) Element |
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Funding Status:
Active - Currently funded and in progress
Procurement Mechanism(s):
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Aims:
The overall goal is to minimize risks in both male and female astronauts that are associated with long-term, deep space missions. This will be achieved to generate research results on biomarkers, brain morphology and function, performance pathways, and functional behavioral performance impairments, necessary inputs for computational human health risk models of combined space exposures. The successful completion of this work will provide a clear understanding of synergistic interactions between space environment factors in relation to crew health and performance during extended missions beyond the Van Allen belts.
Aim 1: Determine dose dependence of acute ‘Five-Ion GCR Simulation’ exposure for immune, brain and behavioral performance responses in crew age-matched adult male and female mice.
Aim 2: Determine effects of acute ‘Five-Ion GCR Simulation’ exposure singly and in combination with simulated microgravity and social isolation, on immune and nervous system responses in crew age-matched male and female mice mimicking deep space missions.
Aim 3: Determine efficacy of the dietary antioxidant, Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) in reversing immune, brain and behavioral/cognitive performance effects after acute ‘Five-Ion GCR Simulation’ exposure in socially isolated, IR and simulated microgravity exposed male and female mice, mimicking deep space missions.
Category:
Risk Characterization, Quantification
Subcategory:
Evidence or Risk Characterization
Description:
Fundamental questions addressed in this project examine mouse sex differences in response to major environmental factors associated with deep space:
(1) Does exposure to IR, either singly and in combination with simulated microgravity and social isolation, result in an elevation of brain reactive oxygen species (ROS), immune dysfunction, altered morphology and function in brain areas related to cognition and behavior?
(2) What is the preferred reference dose,using the Simplified Five-ion GCR Simulation at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratories (BNL), exposures that will allow for studies of both increased and decreased effects confirming combinatorial effects with other deep space factors (i.e., microgravity and social isolation)?
(3) Can immune and inflammatory markers serve as biomarkers for CNS structural and functional changes?
(4) What is the time course relative to IR, HU and social isolation for emergence of immune, brain, and performance measures?
(5) Do the observed CNS alterations lead to behavioral and cognitive impairments?
(6)What Brain Performance Pathways are implicated in HU and IR singly and in combination?
(7) Can administration of the dietary antioxidant, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a key intermediate in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) biosynthesis, ameliorate these changes?
Internal Customers:
Human Factors and Behavioral Performance
Human Health Countermeasures
Space Radiation
External Customers:
None