| Affiliations: | DeBakey Executive Research Leadership Program |
| Project Leader: | John Hayes johnhayes98@tamu.edu Industrial & Systems Engineering |
| Faculty Mentor: | Ranjana Mehta, Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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TBD |
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Team Size:
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5
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| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Team Needs:
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Experience in human subjects research, physiological data collection, data analysis, and statistical analysis is preferred but not required |
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Description:
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Rationale: Sensorimotor impairments following G-transitions (i.e., takeoff and landing) during spaceflight are well documented and characterized. Astronauts frequently display motion sickness as well as impaired balance, locomotion, and gaze stabilization following G-transitions [1]. These impairments pose a significant risk for astronaut safety and mission success, compounded by the critical nature of many tasks that immediately follow G-transitions (e.g., docking a spacecraft to the ISS). Further, with NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon and eventually land humans on Mars, post-flight sensorimotor impairment poses and even greater risk during extraterrestrial landings, with no landing crew present to support the astronauts after their descent. Spaceflight induced sensorimotor impairment is thought to be related to changes in the inputs from the vestibular system, the system responsible for sensing acceleration and motion. On earth, the brain takes into account the constant inputs from the acceleration due to gravity [2]. In space, this input is removed, and the mental model for processing the inputs from the vestibular system degrades, resulting in disorientation and sensorimotor impairment [3]. Over time, the astronaut adapts to these altered inputs, but upon return to earth, the astronaut then has to re-adapt to the presence of gravity, with a second period of sensorimotor impairment. Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is a technique in which electrodes are placed on the mastoid processes, directly behind the ear, and a pseudorandom bilateral current is applied. GVS has been found to simulate spaceflight-induced sensorimotor impairment, and this technique has been used to model and study the effects of sensorimotor impairment [4]. While spaceflight-induced sensorimotor impairments are well documented, the effects of fatigue on phenomenon are unknown. Cognitive fatigue has been previously shown on earth to impact gait, sway, and balance, and to increase the risk of falls in older adults [5, 6]. It seems highly likely then that fatigue could have a compounding effect on the impairment associated with altered gravity. Given that astronauts are frequently fatigued and sleep deprived, the impacts of fatigue on sensorimotor performance during and after spaceflight could be very impactful to mission success. Modeling the effects of spaceflight-induced sensorimotor impairment through the use of GVS on earth can help to design systems that account for this impairment, but in order to ensure that these models are accurate and ecologically valid, it is important to take into account the role of fatigue in sensorimotor impairment. Objective: The goal of this study is to examine the effects of cognitive fatigue and sleep deprivation on GVS-induced sensorimotor impairment. We hypothesize that 2-hours of a task relevant cognitive fatiguing task (MATB-II) or 30-hour sleep deprivation will result in increased decrement on performance in the selected sensorimotor assessment battery. To test this hypothesis, we will utilize the following sensorimotor assessment tests from NASA’s sensorimotor assessment battery: tandem walk, tandem walk with eyes closed, obstacle walk. Additionally, participants will complete a hand-eye motor coordination task and a balance assessment. Participants will begin with baseline sensorimotor tests, with and without GVS. Participants will then complete one of two fatigue tasks: 2-hour cognitive fatigue or 30-hour sleep deprivation. After the fatigue task, participants will again complete the sensorimotor impairment test with and without GVS. Research Questions: Does fatigue impact GVS-induced sensorimotor impairment? Do different types of fatigue (cognitive fatigue vs. sleep deprivation) have different effects on sensorimotor impairment? References: [1] M. F. Reschke and G. Clément, “Vestibular and Sensorimotor Dysfunction During Space Flight,” Current Pathobiology Reports, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 177-183, 2018/09/01 2018, doi: 10.1007/s40139-018-0173-y. [2] D. M. Merfeld, L. Zupan, and R. J. Peterka, “Humans use internal models to estimate gravity and linear acceleration,” Nature, vol. 398, no. 6728, pp. 615-618, 1999/04/01 1999, doi: 10.1038/19303. [3] M. Shelhamer, “Trends in sensorimotor research and countermeasures for exploration-class space flights,” (in English), Perspective vol. 9, no. 115, 2015-August-11 2015, doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00115. [4] S. T. Moore, H. G. MacDougall, B. T. Peters, J. J. Bloomberg, I. S. Curthoys, and H. S. Cohen, “Modeling locomotor dysfunction following spaceflight with Galvanic vestibular stimulation,” Experimental Brain Research, vol. 174, no. 4, pp. 647-659, 2006/10/01 2006, doi: 10.1007/s00221-006-0528-1. [5] S. Grobe, R. S. Kakar, M. L. Smith, R. Mehta, T. Baghurst, and A. Boolani, “Impact of cognitive fatigue on gait and sway among older adults: A literature review,” Preventive Medicine Reports, vol. 6, pp. 88-93, 2017/06/01/ 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.02.016. [6] B. Hachard, F. Noé, H. Ceyte, B. Trajin, and T. Paillard, “Balance control is impaired by mental fatigue due to the fulfilment of a continuous cognitive task or by the watching of a documentary,” Experimental Brain Research, vol. 238, no. 4, pp. 861-868, 2020/04/01 2020, doi: 10.1007/s00221-020-05758-2. |