Human torpor: translating insights from nature into manned deep space expedition.

During a long-duration manned spaceflight mission, such as flying to Mars and beyond, all crew members will spend a long period in an independent spacecraft with closed-loop bioregenerative life-support systems. Saving resources and reducing medical risks, particularly in mental heath, are key technology gaps hampering human expedition into deep space. In the 1960s, several scientists proposed that an induced state of suppressed metabolism in humans, which mimics 'hibernation', could be an ideal solution to cope with many issues during spaceflight.

Antidepressant-like effects of cajaninstilbene acid and its related mechanisms in mice.

Cajaninstilbene acid (CSA), a bioactive constituent isolated from pigeon pea leaves, exhibited neuroprotective activities in previous studies. The present study aims to evaluate the antidepressant effects of CSA by using behavioral despair models of tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST), and a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model. CSA (30 or 60 mg/kg), intragastrically administrated for 7 days, could significantly reduce the immobility time of mice in TST and FST.

Urinary metabolic disturbance in the olfactory bulbectomized rats and the modulatory effects of fluoxetine.

Aims: The present study aims to investigate the impacts of olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) on urinary metabolic profile and tryptophan metabolites in prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats, and to explore the regulation effects of fluoxetine.

Main Methods: OBX model was developed by aspiration of olfactory bulbs. After fluoxetine treatment (10 mg/kg) for 14 days, urine samples were collected and behavior tests were applied.

Acclimation during space flight: effects on human emotion.

Recently, studies on the extent to which spaceflight affects the psychology of individuals has received attention. In order to reveal the mental challenges that humans face in space, we need practical viewpoints to integrate the psychological effects, behavior, performance and the environment itself for space exploration. The present review discusses the individual variables related to space psychology and manned spaceflight, in addition to their growing trends.

The memory enhancement effect of Kai Xin San on cognitive deficit induced by simulated weightlessness in rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: It is vital for astronauts to develop effective countermeasures to prevent their decline of cognitive performance in microgravity to make space-flight missions successful. The traditional Chinese herbal formula Kai Xin San (KXS) has been used to treat amnesia for thousands years. It is a traditional complex prescription comprising of ginseng (Panax ginseng C.

Chronical sleep interruption-induced cognitive decline assessed by a metabolomics method.

Good sleep is necessary for optimal health, especially for mental health. Insomnia, sleep deprivation will make your ability to learn and memory impaired. Nevertheless, the underlying pathophysiological mechanism of sleep disorders-induced cognitive decline is still largely unknown.

Predicting individual brain maturity using dynamic functional connectivity.

Neuroimaging-based functional connectivity (FC) analyses have revealed significant developmental trends in specific intrinsic connectivity networks linked to cognitive and behavioral maturation. However, knowledge of how brain functional maturation is associated with FC dynamics at rest is limited. Here, we examined age-related differences in the temporal variability of FC dynamics with data publicly released by the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI; n = 183, ages 7-30) and showed that dynamic inter-region interactions can be used to accurately predict individual brain maturity across development.

Disrupted resting-state functional architecture of the brain after 45-day simulated microgravity.

Long-term spaceflight induces both physiological and psychological changes in astronauts. To understand the neural mechanisms underlying these physiological and psychological changes, it is critical to investigate the effects of microgravity on the functional architecture of the brain. In this study, we used resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to study whether the functional architecture of the brain is altered after 45 days of -6° head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest, which is a reliable model for the simulation of microgravity.

Decreasing ventromedial prefrontal cortex deactivation in risky decision making after simulated microgravity: effects of -6° head-down tilt bed rest.

Space is characterized by risk and uncertainty. As humans play an important role in long-duration space missions, the ability to make risky decisions effectively is important for astronauts who spend extended time periods in space. The present study used the Balloon Analog Risk Task to conduct both behavioral and fMRI experiments to evaluate the effects of simulated microgravity on individuals' risk-taking behavior and the neural basis of the effect.

Keeping the right time in space: importance of circadian clock and sleep for physiology and performance of astronauts.

The circadian clock and sleep are essential for human physiology and behavior; deregulation of circadian rhythms impairs health and performance. Circadian clocks and sleep evolved to adapt to Earth's environment, which is characterized by a 24-hour light-dark cycle. Changes in gravity load, lighting and work schedules during spaceflight missions can impact circadian clocks and disrupt sleep, in turn jeopardizing the mood, cognition and performance of orbiting astronauts.

[A review of analysis and recognition of emotional speech].

In recent years, the interest of researchers has grown in the study on emotional speech. This article is a review of the choice of corporas, acoustic feature extraction and recognition from emotional speech.