Long-term spaceflight missions are becoming a reality, where astronauts must overcome life-or-death obstacles with minimal resources while isolated from society. Isolation, a known stressor of space exploration, can lead to mental stress and abnormal cortisol fluctuations which disrupt functions including sleep, emotions, and cognitive abilities necessary for safe mission completion. Current testing by NASA uses Cognition, a series of cognitive performance assessments, for noncontinuous monitoring before, during, and after missions as it fits into busy schedules every week or two. The autonomic nervous system (ANS), regulated by the central nervous system, influences critical cognitive functions via its sympathetic "fight-or-flight" and parasympathetic "rest-and-digest" divisions. However, suboptimal CNS function can impair performance and in turn, alter ANS activity. The ANS regulates involuntary bodily functions, including cardiovascular, respiratory, or dermal activity, which serve as measurable indicators of autonomic states. Our study uses the Corsano TM CardioWatch 287-2B to continuously collect data – pulse rate, respiration, skin temperature, activity, photoplethysmography (PPG), and noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) – from healthy volunteers (n=12, female=4). Baseline data collection is underway and will be collected for 58 to 87 days before two crews of 6 each undertake a two-week Mars analog mission in isolation will begin at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). Cognitive performance will be measured between 12/4–1/12 through the Cognition Test Battery. Cognitive performance tests will be monitored with the administration of the Cognition Test Battery 6 times, every other day during the analog mission as the study volunteers live in simulated isolation. Cognition consists of 10 tests titled Motor Praxis Test (MP), Visual Object Learning (VOLT), Fractal 2-Back (F2B), Abstract Matching (AM), Line Orientation Test (LOT), Emotion Recognition Task (ERT), Matrix Reasoning Test (MRT), Digital Symbol Substitution Task (DSST), Balloon Analog Risk Test (BART), and the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) that combined test for sensory-motor speed, spatial learning and memory, working memory, abstract reasoning, spatial orientation, emotional identification, complex visual scanning, risk management and decision-making, attention, and reaction time. Each test provides the median, mean, and standard deviation of the reaction time as well as the accuracy scores and test-specific metrics such as the total money collected for BART. Reaction time, accuracy, and efficiency cognitive test results will be analyzed in a mixed linear model to determine the average relationship between them and the wearable sensor data for covariates of age, gender, and test timing. Preliminary baseline data (14 – 29 days) show diurnal patterns in NIBP, pulse, respiration, and heart rate variability (HRV) measures with profiles unique to each individual. Model results are expected to show ANS activity during Cognition testing differs from longitudinal patterns, serving as a predictor of cognitive states. The ability to predict cognitive performance levels in real-time will bring us a step closer to continuous cognitive performance monitoring for enhanced space mission readiness in extreme environments that allow for timely feedback, additional oversight, and appropriate intervention. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.
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