Funding Status:
Active - Currently funded and in progress
Procurement Mechanism(s):
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Aims:
This study is part of the 1-Year Mission complement of studies led by the NASA Human Research Program. This study is based on the premise that sleep serves as the central physiological regulator of cognitive / behavioral, neurophysiological, and immune functions. Therefore, the study of sleep quality and duration on orbit may yield important insights into etiology and mechanisms of adverse cognitive/behavioral, space flight associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), and immunological responses during long duration deep space exploration missions. We therefore propose to use an integrated approach combining assessments of (1) sleep quality and duration, (2) intracranial fluids distribution, (3) cognitive performance, and (4) immunological response, (5) changes in these physiological measures relative to sleep quality and duration. We propose to collect data on crewmembers participating in integrated one-year mission project (i1YMP) aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and demographically matched control subjects in Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) for missions of similar durations. The outcomes of the study will contribute to quantification of crew health and performance risks associated with human spaceflight, and aid in development of technologies for monitoring and mitigating crew health and performance. Specific aims include:
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Characterize cognitive and operational task performance changes during the i1YMP on the ISS.
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Characterize brain and systemic physiology changes during i1YMP on the ISS.
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Characterize the effects of sleep duration and quality on cerebral and whole-body hemodynamics on ISS and in HERA.
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Quantify the effects of sleep duration and quality on immune response.