Exposure to space galactic cosmic radiation is a principal consideration of spaceflight missions, and with upcoming missions to the Moon and Mars, it is increasingly imperative to elucidate the detrimental effects of space travel beyond the lower Earth orbit. Additionally, with the first female astronaut to soon travel to the Moon and beyond lower Earth orbit, there is a strong need to understand the biological sex differences to adaptation to the deep space environment. While the effects of spaceflight on the nervous system are not fully known, studies in animal models have shown that exposure to ionizing radiation can cause neuronal damage and lead to downstream cognitive and behavioral deficits. Therefore, we investigated the neurobehavioral responses to space environment-like radiation exposure. Male and female 23–24-week-old mice (age-matched to average astronaut age) were exposed to 5, 15 and 50 cGy via Five-Ion Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulation at the NASA National Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Both early (72hrs post exposure) and late (1-4 months post exposure) cognitive and behavioral deficits were investigated. In-cage behavior was analyzed as frequency/duration of digging, rearing, and grooming and nestlet building using a 5-stage Deacon score. Additionally, at NASA Ames, behavior tests included Catwalk (gait), Zero Maze (anxiety), Adhesive Removal (sensory motor), Novel Object Recognition and Barnes Maze (working memory). There were pronounced sex differences in both early and late time points. Females typically performed the tests better than males, specifically in nestlet building, gait and working memory, though males performed better at the sensory motor (adhesive removal) test. Dose effects were primarily observed at 50 cGy for both sexes, particularly with the Barnes Maze (working memory), where both males and females exposed to 50 cGy showed little to no improvement in test performance, though females again performed better than males. Currently, we are investigating the correlations between the observed behavior and cytokine levels in the plasma and brain. Future studies will continue to investigate cognitive consequences of galactic cosmic radiation in combination with other space-like environment stressors, including antigravity and social versus single housing.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Neurobehavioral Effects Of Five-Ion GCRSim Exposure In Male And Female Mice



    Conference:

    Radiation Research Society Annual Meeting ; 2022 ; Waikoloa, Hawaii, US


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English





    Neurobehavioral Sequelae in Neurotraumatology

    Christensen, A.-L. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2006


    Male and female mounting assembly

    GREEN LEO | European Patent Office | 2019

    Free access

    Male and Female Mounting Assembly

    GREEN LEO | European Patent Office | 2019

    Free access

    Male and female lorry drivers

    Hamelin, Patrick | Online Contents | 2005