Publications by authors named "R J Britten"
Article Synopsis
- Long-duration space missions to the Moon and Mars pose significant physical and mental health challenges for astronauts due to exposure to multiple stressors, particularly space radiation (SR) and sleep disturbances.
- Ground-based studies indicate that both SR and poor sleep quality can impair cognitive performance, particularly in complex tasks like the attentional set-shifting task (ATSET).
- This research found that fragmented sleep significantly worsened ATSET performance in rats previously exposed to galactic cosmic ray simulation (GCRsim), revealing that sleep disturbance can amplify cognitive deficits caused by SR, with variations noted between male and female rats in the type of performance decrements.
Article Synopsis
- - NASA is planning to resume manned deep space missions, starting with the Moon and then Mars, and is investigating the potential health impacts of space radiation on astronauts during these long missions.
- - Research indicates that astronauts might experience significant impairments in cognitive functions, particularly in advanced executive skills, and these effects could vary based on their previous space exposure.
- - A study on rats found that after being re-exposed to space radiation, their ability to perform attentional set shifting tasks significantly declined, showing that prior radiation exposure alters cognitive impairments compared to animals that have never been exposed.
Article Synopsis
- Planned Moon and Mars missions pose greater health risks for astronauts due to constant exposure to space radiation (SR), unlike low Earth orbit missions.
- Studies on female Wistar rats show that exposure to 10 cGy of SR increases risk-taking behavior and slows reaction times, indicating a decline in cognitive processing.
- The study explores whether the effects observed in female rats also apply to other types of space radiation and to male rats, highlighting the need for further research.
The proposed Mars missions will expose astronauts to long durations of social isolation (SI) and space radiation (SR). These stressors have been shown to alter the brain's macrostructure and microenvironment, including the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Breakdown of the BBB is linked to impaired executive functions and physical deficits, including sensorimotor and neurocognitive impairments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFuture NASA missions will require astronauts to travel farther and spend longer durations in space than ever before. This will also expose astronauts to longer periods of several physical and psychological challenges, including exposure to space radiation (SR) and periods of social isolation (SI), which could have unknown negative effects on physical and mental health. Each also has the potential to negatively impact sleep which can reduce the ability to cope with stressful experiences and lead to sensorimotor, neurocognitive, and physical deficits.
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