Task Progress:
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The study is underway. Extensive progress was made during this reporting period on the Virtual NASA Specialized Center of Research (VNSCOR). The VNSCOR Team met extensively to discuss touch points across the project and hone our experimental designs. The VNSCOR includes two species, mouse and rat, with mature male and female subjects approximating crew ages, and six standardization protocols across three laboratories. The timeline for the combined space stress model remains identical across groups with all animals experiencing each stressor for identical lengths of time and at the same timepoints – this will allow a standard model at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) to be developed for future studies. According to this timeline, all Principal Investigator (PI) teams will perform hindlimb unloading as the microgravity model, and irradiate all animals with the 5-ion GCRsim at both a low (15 cGy) and high dose (50 cGy) that most closely mimics the mission travel time to Mars. A slightly lower protein diet, containing no estradiol, will be used to closely mimic the diet of astronauts and limit the effects of circulating estrogen. Additionally, efforts are being made to create similar animal care and handling conditions. To maintain all original grant aims, each group will return to their respective institutions and perform a minimum of two identical behavioral assays to measure changes in sensorimotor (adhesive removal) and memory (novel object recognition) functions. Using three Luminex based arrays each group will evaluate peripheral blood markers to elucidate potential predictive biomarkers of behavioral performance. These data together, will be combined into a predictive statistical model to identify potential biomarkers that may predict behavior decrements and neuroinflammation across three institutions and two species.
In February 2021, our team customized and shipped 100 hindlimb unloadin (HU) cages to Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the Rosi team, and worked onsite at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) training the Rosi Team in this procedure. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, my own Team was able to travel to NSRL during this reporting period, complete 5-ion GCRsim exposure, perform acute behavioral (sensorimotor) and immune measures at 72 post-IR, and dissect the Intermediate group. Delayed group mice were shipped to NASA Ames Resarch Center (ARC) to undergo cognitive and behavioral testing, which will be followed by dissection. After dissection, data analysis will begin.
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Bibliography Type:
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Description: (Last Updated: 05/24/2022)
Show Cumulative Bibliography Listing
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Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings
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Paul AM, Rubinstein L, Mhatre SD Iyer J, Wong K, Lowe M, Abegaz M, O’Neil N, Tahimic C, Alwood JS, Globus RK, Ronca AE. "Altered immune differentials between male and female mice independent of ionizing radiation." 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. Abstracts. 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. , Feb-2021
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Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings
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Puukila S, Lemon JA, Ronca AE, Jones JA, Montesinos CA, Boreham DR. "A multi targeted dietary supplement as a potential countermeasure for prolonged, deep space exploration." 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. Abstracts. 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. , Feb-2021
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Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings
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Ronca AE, Rubinstein L, Paul A, Mhatre SD, Iyer JS, Puukila SA, Lowe M, Sowa M, Globus R, Alwood JS, Tahimic C. "Oxidative stress and the neuroconsequences of spaceflight environment - immune dysregulation and antioxidant dietary countermeasure efficacy." 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. Abstracts. 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. , Feb-2021
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Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings
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Rosi S, Sanford L, Ronca A. "The combined space stress model– social isolation, altered gravity, and GCR- effects on memory, sensorimotor function, and neuroinflammatory response as to predict astronaut performance." 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. Abstracts. 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. , Feb-2021
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Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings
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Rubinstein L, Paul A, Mhatre SD, Iyer JS, Puukila SA, Lowe M, Houseman C, Abegaz M, Tabares Ruiz, O’Neil N, Sowa M, Alwood JS, Globus RK, Tahimic C, Ronca AE. "The combined space stress model – social isolation, altered gravity, and GCR – effects on memory, sensorimotor function, and neuroinflammatory response as to predict astronaut performance. " 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. Abstracts. 2021 NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, Virtual, February 1-4, 2021. , Feb-2021
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