Neural Working Memory Changes During a Spaceflight Analog With Elevated Carbon Dioxide: A Pilot Study
Spaceflight missions to the International Space Station (ISS) expose astronauts to microgravity, radiation, isolation, and elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), among other factors. Head down tilt bed rest (HDBR) is an Earth-based analog for spaceflight used to study body unloading, fluid shifts, and other...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnsys.2020.00048/full |
| _version_ | 1818555396382523392 |
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| author | Ana Paula Salazar Kathleen E. Hupfeld Jessica K. Lee Nichole E. Beltran Igor S. Kofman Yiri E. De Dios Edwin Mulder Jacob J. Bloomberg Ajitkumar P. Mulavara Rachael D. Seidler Rachael D. Seidler |
| author_facet | Ana Paula Salazar Kathleen E. Hupfeld Jessica K. Lee Nichole E. Beltran Igor S. Kofman Yiri E. De Dios Edwin Mulder Jacob J. Bloomberg Ajitkumar P. Mulavara Rachael D. Seidler Rachael D. Seidler |
| author_sort | Ana Paula Salazar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Spaceflight missions to the International Space Station (ISS) expose astronauts to microgravity, radiation, isolation, and elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), among other factors. Head down tilt bed rest (HDBR) is an Earth-based analog for spaceflight used to study body unloading, fluid shifts, and other factors unrelated to gravitational changes. While in space, astronauts need to use mental rotation strategies to facilitate their adaptation to the ISS environment. Therefore, spatial working memory is essential for crewmember performance. Although the effects of HDBR on spatial working memory have recently been studied, the results are still inconclusive. Here, we expand upon past work and examine the effects of HDBR with elevated CO2 (HDBR + CO2) on brain activation patterns during spatial working memory performance. In addition, we compare brain activation between 30 days of HDBR + CO2 and 70 days of HDBR to test the isolated effect of CO2. Eleven subjects (6 males, 5 females; mean age = 34 ± 8 years) underwent six functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions pre-, during, and post-HDBR + CO2. During the HDBR + CO2 intervention, we observed decreasing activation in the right middle frontal gyrus and left regions of the cerebellum, followed by post-intervention recovery. We detected several correlations between brain and behavioral slopes of change with the HDBR + CO2 intervention. For example, greater increases in activation in frontal, temporal and parietal regions were associated with larger spatial working memory improvements. Comparing the HDBR + CO2 group to data from our previous 70-day HDBR study, we found greater decreases in activation in the right hippocampus and left inferior temporal gyrus for the HDBR + CO2 group over the course of the intervention. Together, these findings increase our understanding of the neural mechanisms of HDBR, elevated levels of CO2 and spaceflight-related changes in spatial working memory performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:52:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-49ccb902ee164141a90a71a07603dabd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5137 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:52:55Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-49ccb902ee164141a90a71a07603dabd2022-12-22T00:28:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience1662-51372020-07-011410.3389/fnsys.2020.00048553217Neural Working Memory Changes During a Spaceflight Analog With Elevated Carbon Dioxide: A Pilot StudyAna Paula Salazar0Kathleen E. Hupfeld1Jessica K. Lee2Nichole E. Beltran3Igor S. Kofman4Yiri E. De Dios5Edwin Mulder6Jacob J. Bloomberg7Ajitkumar P. Mulavara8Rachael D. Seidler9Rachael D. Seidler10Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesDepartment of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesInstitute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center, Cologne, GermanyKBR, Houston, TX, United StatesKBR, Houston, TX, United StatesKBR, Houston, TX, United StatesInstitute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center, Cologne, GermanyNASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, United StatesKBR, Houston, TX, United StatesDepartment of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesDepartment of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesSpaceflight missions to the International Space Station (ISS) expose astronauts to microgravity, radiation, isolation, and elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), among other factors. Head down tilt bed rest (HDBR) is an Earth-based analog for spaceflight used to study body unloading, fluid shifts, and other factors unrelated to gravitational changes. While in space, astronauts need to use mental rotation strategies to facilitate their adaptation to the ISS environment. Therefore, spatial working memory is essential for crewmember performance. Although the effects of HDBR on spatial working memory have recently been studied, the results are still inconclusive. Here, we expand upon past work and examine the effects of HDBR with elevated CO2 (HDBR + CO2) on brain activation patterns during spatial working memory performance. In addition, we compare brain activation between 30 days of HDBR + CO2 and 70 days of HDBR to test the isolated effect of CO2. Eleven subjects (6 males, 5 females; mean age = 34 ± 8 years) underwent six functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions pre-, during, and post-HDBR + CO2. During the HDBR + CO2 intervention, we observed decreasing activation in the right middle frontal gyrus and left regions of the cerebellum, followed by post-intervention recovery. We detected several correlations between brain and behavioral slopes of change with the HDBR + CO2 intervention. For example, greater increases in activation in frontal, temporal and parietal regions were associated with larger spatial working memory improvements. Comparing the HDBR + CO2 group to data from our previous 70-day HDBR study, we found greater decreases in activation in the right hippocampus and left inferior temporal gyrus for the HDBR + CO2 group over the course of the intervention. Together, these findings increase our understanding of the neural mechanisms of HDBR, elevated levels of CO2 and spaceflight-related changes in spatial working memory performance.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnsys.2020.00048/fullcognitionspatial working memorycarbon dioxidehead down tilt bed restmicrogravity |
| spellingShingle | Ana Paula Salazar Kathleen E. Hupfeld Jessica K. Lee Nichole E. Beltran Igor S. Kofman Yiri E. De Dios Edwin Mulder Jacob J. Bloomberg Ajitkumar P. Mulavara Rachael D. Seidler Rachael D. Seidler Neural Working Memory Changes During a Spaceflight Analog With Elevated Carbon Dioxide: A Pilot Study Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience cognition spatial working memory carbon dioxide head down tilt bed rest microgravity |
| title | Neural Working Memory Changes During a Spaceflight Analog With Elevated Carbon Dioxide: A Pilot Study |
| title_full | Neural Working Memory Changes During a Spaceflight Analog With Elevated Carbon Dioxide: A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | Neural Working Memory Changes During a Spaceflight Analog With Elevated Carbon Dioxide: A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neural Working Memory Changes During a Spaceflight Analog With Elevated Carbon Dioxide: A Pilot Study |
| title_short | Neural Working Memory Changes During a Spaceflight Analog With Elevated Carbon Dioxide: A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | neural working memory changes during a spaceflight analog with elevated carbon dioxide a pilot study |
| topic | cognition spatial working memory carbon dioxide head down tilt bed rest microgravity |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnsys.2020.00048/full |
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