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Project Title:  Develop and Implement Operational Ground Testing Protocols to Individualize Astronaut Sleep Medication Efficacy and Individual Effects Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2010 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
 Start Date: 03/18/2009  
End Date: 01/21/2010  
Task Last Updated: 12/21/2010 		 Download report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Johnston, Smith  M.D. / NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  Flight Surgeon 
Space Medicine 
Houston , TX 77058 		 Email: smith.l.johnston@nasa.gov 
Phone: (281) 483-0453  
Congressional District: 22 
Web:  
 Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Co-Investigator(s)
Affiliation: 
Dinges, David  University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine 
Barger, Laura  Harvard Medical School 
Czeisler, Chuck  Harvard Medical School 
Beven, Gary  NASA Johnson Space Center 
Sipes, Walter  NASA Johnson Space Center 
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. Directed Research 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor: Shea, Cami1e  
Center Contact: 281-244-2017 
shea@dsls.usra.edu 
Unique ID: 7832  		Solicitation / Funding Source: Directed Research 
Grant/Contract No.: Directed Research 
Project Type: GROUND 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: Yes  		No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:  
No. of Master's Candidates:  
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:   		No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:  
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:  
Human Research Program Elements: (1) BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Human Research Program Risks: (1) BMed:Risk of Adverse Cognitive or Behavioral Conditions and Psychiatric Disorders
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) BMed-104:Given the potentially negative spaceflight associated CNS changes and behavioral experiences of stressors during long-duration missions (e.g., isolation, confinement, reduced sensory stimulation, altered gravity, space radiation), what are validated modifications to habitat/vehicle to mitigate stressors impacting on CNS / cognition / behavioral health?
Task Description: The proposed pilot study provides an opportunity to test the feasibility of a protocol to use with astronauts and other NASA personnel (e.g., flight surgeons, flight directors, and flight controllers) to assess potential carry over effects from sleep medications used during spaceflight operations (including overseas training periods), and following an abrupt awakening from sleep. This information is critically needed to establish optimal and individually tailored usage of sleep medications by key personnel relative to operational demands. The proposed protocol is a feasibility study that will determine the percentage change in sleep inertia from using a medication compared to normal sleep inertia. Subject participants will each choose a hypnotic as their preferred sleep aid; once an appropriate medication is identified, each subject volunteer, in a controlled setting in the Crew Quarters Facility at Johnson Space Center (JSC), will undergo several awakenings during two nights of sleep (one night with the medication, another night with a placebo). Cognitive performance, using a set of three measures, will be evaluated at each awakening. This process will occur under the direction of the study Principal Investigator, a NASA Flight Surgeon.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits:

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2010 
Task Progress: The study protocol was successfully pilot tested with N=7 subjects (6 NASA flight surgeons and 1 Behavioral Health and Performance element Operations professional) as subjects from March through June, 2009. The pilot study results supported the scientific feasibility of conducting a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of sleep medication effects on alarm-based awakenings. Preliminary analysis from the pilot study indicated differences in performance upon abrupt awakening between the sleep medication and placebo conditions. Thus, the pilot data also support the likelihood of new scientific and clinical insights from the proposed Phase II studies with NASA astronauts.

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 04/09/2019) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
 None in FY 2010
Back to Search Results    
Project Title:  Develop and Implement Operational Ground Testing Protocols to Individualize Astronaut Sleep Medication Efficacy and Individual Effects Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2009 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
 Start Date: 03/18/2009  
End Date: 01/21/2010  
Task Last Updated: 02/17/2010 		 Download report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Johnston, Smith  M.D. / NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  Flight Surgeon 
Space Medicine 
Houston , TX 77058 		 Email: smith.l.johnston@nasa.gov 
Phone: (281) 483-0453  
Congressional District: 22 
Web:  
 Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Co-Investigator(s)
Affiliation: 
Dinges, David  University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine 
Barger, Laura  Harvard Medical School 
Czeisler, Chuck  Harvard Medical School 
Beven, Gary  NASA Johnson Space Center 
Sipes, Walter  NASA Johnson Space Center 
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. Directed Research 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor: Shea, Cami1e  
Center Contact: 281-244-2017 
shea@dsls.usra.edu 
Unique ID: 7832  		Solicitation / Funding Source: Directed Research 
Grant/Contract No.: Directed Research 
Project Type: GROUND 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: Yes  		No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:  
No. of Master's Candidates:  
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:   		No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:  
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:  
Human Research Program Elements: (1) BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Human Research Program Risks: (1) BMed:Risk of Adverse Cognitive or Behavioral Conditions and Psychiatric Disorders
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) BMed-104:Given the potentially negative spaceflight associated CNS changes and behavioral experiences of stressors during long-duration missions (e.g., isolation, confinement, reduced sensory stimulation, altered gravity, space radiation), what are validated modifications to habitat/vehicle to mitigate stressors impacting on CNS / cognition / behavioral health?
Task Description: The proposed pilot study provides an opportunity to test the feasibility of a protocol to use with astronauts and other NASA personnel (e.g., flight surgeons, flight directors and flight controllers) to assess potential carry over effects from sleep medications used during spaceflight operations (including overseas training periods), and following an abrupt awakening from sleep. This information is critically needed to establish optimal and individually tailored usage of sleep medications by key personnel relative to operational demands. The proposed protocol is a feasibility study that will determine the percentage change in sleep inertia from using a medication compared to normal sleep inertia. Subject participants will each choose a hypnotic as their preferred sleep aid; once an appropriate medication is identified, each subject volunteer, in a controlled setting in the Crew Quarters Facility at JSC, will undergo several awakenings during two nights of sleep (one night with the medication, another night with a placebo). Cognitive performance, using a set of three measures, will be evaluated at each awakening. This process will occur under the direction of the study Principal Investigator, a NASA Flight Surgeon.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits:

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2009 
Task Progress: New project for FY2009.

[Ed. note: project added to Task Book in 02/2010 per JSC information]

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 04/09/2019) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
 None in FY 2009
Back to Search Results