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Artificial Gravity as a Multi-System Countermeasure: Effects on Cognitive FunctionThe Space Flight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows (WinSCAT) is a medical requirement on the International Space Station, and its purpose is to evaluate cognitive functioning after physical insult (e.g., head trauma, decompression sickness, exposure to toxic gases, medication side effects). The current objective is to assess cognitive functioning in a long duration space mission analog environment where Artificial Gravity is being applied as a countermeasure in a Bed Rest study. Methods: Fifteen male subjects (8 treatment and 7 control) who participated in 21 days of -6 degree head-down bed rest were assessed. Three practice and three baseline WinSCAT test sessions were administered during the pre-bed rest phase of study participation. During the bed rest phase, the WinSCAT test was scheduled every other day, following the centrifuge, for a total of 10 test sessions. (The treatment group received 60 minutes of centrifugation each day during the 21 days of bed rest. The control subjects were strapped to the centrifuge for the same length of time as the treatment group but were not spun.) During the post-bed rest (reconditioning) phase, the test was administered 4 times. Results: Individual differences were found both within and between the treatment and control groups. After controlling for the number of subjects in each group, the treatment group accounted for more off-nominal WinSCAT scores than the control group. Conclusions:There is some preliminary evidence that centrifuge spinning might negatively impact cognitive functioning. However, due to sample size limitations, it cannot be ascertained whether there were significant differences in cognitive performance between the treatment and control groups. If centrifugation had a negative effect on cognitive functioning, consistent decrements would be expected to be found with all treatment subjects across time. Individual differences in underlying cognitive ability and motivation level are other possible explanations for the results found in this study.
Document ID
20070030049
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Sipes, Walter E.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Seaton, Kim
(Texas Univ. Health Science Center Houston, TX, United States)
Slack, Kellely
(LZ Technology, Inc. Alvin, TX, United States)
Bowie, Kendra
(Wyle Labs., Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
April 8, 2007
Subject Category
Aerospace Medicine
Meeting Information
Meeting: 28th Annual International Gravitational Physiology Meeting
Location: San Antonio, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: April 8, 2007
End Date: April 13, 2007
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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