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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Minipigs as a Model to Study Separate and Combined Effects of Space Radiation and Altered Gravity on Cardiovascular disease, Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), and Central Nervous System (CNS) effects

Minipigs are a well-characterized animal model used to study thecardiovascular system, metabolism, bone, gastrointestinal tract,pancreas, liver, kidney, lung, immune system, central nervous system(white matter) etc. Due to their anatomical, physiological, andbiochemical similarities to humans, minipigs are considered atranslational model in biomedical research and development. Also, their large size and cognitive abilities allow collection of supplementary information regarding the central nervous system(BMed) and Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS) risk.

Janapriya Saha↗
NASA NTRS2003

Anteroposterior patterning in hemichordates and the origins of the chordate nervous system

The chordate central nervous system has been hypothesized to originate from either a dorsal centralized, or a ventral centralized, or a noncentralized nervous system of a deuterostome ancestor. In an effort to resolve these issues, we examined the hemichordate Saccoglossus kowalevskii and studied the expression of orthologs of genes that are involved in patterning the chordate central nervous system. All 22 orthologs studied are expressed in the ectoderm in an anteroposterior arrangement nearly identical to that found in chordates. Domain topography is conserved between hemichordates and chordates despite the fact that hemichordates have a diffuse nerve net, whereas chordates have a centralized system. We propose that the deuterostome ancestor may have had a diffuse nervous system, which was later centralized during the evolution of the chordate lineage.

NASA Discipline Evolutionary Biology↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Human Sympathetic Nervous System Response to Spaceflight

The sympathetic nervous system is an important part of the autonomic (or automatic) nervous system. When an individual stands up, the sympathetic nervous system speeds the heart and constricts blood vessels to prevent a drop in blood pressure. A significant number of astronauts experience a drop in blood pressure when standing for prolonged periods after they return from spaceflight. Difficulty maintaining blood pressure with standing is also a daily problem for many patients. Indirect evidence available before the Neurolab mission suggested the problem in astronauts while in space might be due partially to reduced sympathetic nervous system activity. The purpose of this experiment was to identify whether sympathetic activity was reduced during spaceflight. Sympathetic nervous system activity can be determined in part by measuring heart rate, nerve activity going to blood vessels, and the release of the hormone norepinephrine into the blood. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter discharged from active sympathetic nerve terminals, so its rate of release can serve as a marker of sympathetic nervous system action. In addition to standard cardiovascular measurements (heart rate, blood pressure), we determined sympathetic nerve activity as well as norepinephrine release and clearance on four crewmembers on the Neurolab mission. Contrary to our expectation, the results demonstrated that the astronauts had mildly elevated resting sympathetic nervous system activity in space. Sympathetic nervous system responses to stresses that simulated the cardiovascular effects of standing (lower body negative pressure) were brisk both during and after spaceflight. We concluded that, in the astronauts tested, the activity and response of the sympathetic nervous system to cardiovascular stresses appeared intact and mildly elevated both during and after spaceflight. These changes returned to normal within a few days.

Ertl, Andrew C.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Effects of Altered Gravity on the Central Nervous System of Drosophila melanogaster

A comprehensive understanding of the effects of spaceflight and altered gravity on human physiology is necessary for continued human space exploration and long-term space habitation. Spaceflight includes multiple factors such as microgravity, hypergravity, ionizing radiation, physiological stress, and disrupted circadian rhythms and these have been shown to contribute to pathophysiological responses that target immunity, bone and muscle integrity, cardiovascular and nervous systems. In terrestrial conditions, some of these factors can lead to cancer and neuroimmunological disorders. In this study, we used a well-established spaceflight model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, to assess spaceflight-associated changes in the nervous system. We hypothesize that exposure to altered gravity triggers the oxidative stress response, leading to impairments in the nervous system. To test this hypothesis, we used two experimental paradigms: 1) hypergravity, using the ground-based chronic acceleration model, and 2) spaceflight conditions, which includes exposure to microgravity and in-flight space 1g controls. In our ground studies, acute hypergravity resulted in an induction of oxidative stress-related genes with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in fly brains. Additionally, we observed a depressed locomotor phenotype in these flies (p<0.05). These flies also show a decreased dopaminergic neuron counts in the fly brain upon exposure to acute hypergravity (p<0.05). Thus, the data suggest that altered gravity has a profound effect on the fly nervous system. Similarly, we observe behavioral impairments (p<0.001) and synaptic deficits, including decreased synaptic connections (p<0.05), in 3rd instar larvae which were developed in space. Furthermore, space-grown adults show a decrease in neuronal (p<0.05) and dendritic field (p<0.01) in adult brains coupled with an increased number of apoptotic cells (p<0.001), suggesting increased neuronal loss under spaceflight conditions. In summary, we observe that altered gravity leads to gross neurological deficits. To better understand the long-term effects of spaceflight on the nervous system, longitudinal and multigenerational changes were also identified. This study will help elucidate the different approaches to prevent nervous system dysfunction in astronauts during spaceflight, while also contributing to a better understanding of the pathways that are related to some CNS disorders on Earth.

nervous system↗
NASA NTRS2001

Regulation of sympathetic nervous system function after cardiovascular deconditioning

Humans subjected to prolonged periods of bed rest or microgravity undergo deconditioning of the cardiovascular system, characterized by resting tachycardia, reduced exercise capability, and a predisposition for orthostatic intolerance. These changes in cardiovascular function are likely due to a combination of factors, including changes in control of body fluid balance or cardiac alterations resulting in inadequate maintenance of stroke volume, altered arterial or venous vascular function, reduced activation of cardiovascular hormones, and diminished autonomic reflex function. There is evidence indicating a role for each of these mechanisms. Diminished reflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system and subsequent vasoconstriction appear to play an important role. Studies utilizing the hindlimb-unloaded (HU) rat, an animal model of deconditioning, evaluated the potential role of altered arterial baroreflex control of the sympathetic nervous system. These studies indicate that HU results in blunted baroreflex-mediated activation of both renal and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity in response to a hypotensive stimulus. HU rats are less able to maintain arterial pressure during hemorrhage, suggesting that diminished ability to increase sympathetic activity has functional consequences for the animal. Reflex control of vasopressin secretion appears to be enhanced following HU. Blunted baroreflex-mediated sympathoexcitation appears to involve altered central nervous system function. Baroreceptor afferent activity in response to changes in arterial pressure is unaltered in HU rats. However, increases in efferent sympathetic nerve activity for a given decrease in afferent input are blunted after HU. This altered central nervous system processing of baroreceptor inputs appears to involve an effect at the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). Specifically, it appears that tonic GABAA-mediated inhibition of the RVLM is enhanced after HU. Augmented inhibition apparently arises from sources other than the caudal ventrolateral medulla. If similar alterations in control of the sympathetic nervous system occur in humans in response to cardiovascular deconditioning, it is likely that they play an important role in the observed tendency for orthostatic intolerance. Combined with potential changes in vascular function, cardiac function, and hypovolemia, the predisposition for orthostatic intolerance following cardiovascular deconditioning would be markedly enhanced by blunted ability to reflexly activate the sympathetic nervous system.

Review, Tutorial↗
NASA NTRS1972

Electrophysiological studies of the nervous system

The electrophysiology of the nervous system is studied using cats and human subjects. Data cover effects of chlorolose on evoked potential, the evoked resistance shift that accompanies evoked potentials, and the relationship of eye movements to potentials aroused by visual stimulation.

Galambos, R.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Synchronization of Human Autonomic Nervous System Rhythms with Geomagnetic Activity in Human Subjects

A coupling between geomagnetic activity and the human nervous system's function was identified by virtue of continuous monitoring of heart rate variability (HRV) and the time-varying geomagnetic field over a 31-day period in a group of 10 individuals who went about their normal day-to-day lives. A time series correlation analysis identified a response of the group's autonomic nervous systems to various dynamic changes in the solar, cosmic ray, and ambient magnetic field. Correlation coefficients and p values were calculated between the HRV variables and environmental measures during three distinct time periods of environmental activity. There were significant correlations between the group's HRV and solar wind speed, Kp, Ap, solar radio flux, cosmic ray counts, Schumann resonance power, and the total variations in the magnetic field. In addition, the time series data were time synchronized and normalized, after which all circadian rhythms were removed. It was found that the participants' HRV rhythms synchronized across the 31-day period at a period of approximately 2.5 days, even though all participants were in separate locations. Overall, this suggests that daily autonomic nervous system activity not only responds to changes in solar and geomagnetic activity, but is synchronized with the time-varying magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic field-line resonances and Schumann resonances.

Magnetic Fields↗
NASA NTRS2015

An Integrated Model of the Cardiovascular and Central Nervous Systems for Analysis of Microgravity Induced Fluid Redistribution

A recognized side effect of prolonged microgravity exposure is visual impairment and intracranial pressure (VIIP) syndrome. The medical understanding of this phenomenon is at present preliminary, although it is hypothesized that the headward shift of bodily fluids in microgravity may be a contributor. Computational models can be used to provide insight into the origins of VIIP. In order to further investigate this phenomenon, NASAs Digital Astronaut Project (DAP) is developing an integrated computational model of the human body which is divided into the eye, the cerebrovascular system, and the cardiovascular system. This presentation will focus on the development and testing of the computational model of an integrated model of the cardiovascular system (CVS) and central nervous system (CNS) that simulates the behavior of pressures, volumes, and flows within these two physiological systems.

Space Adaptation Syndrome↗