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Neurological & Cognitive

13 articles tagged · 2 topic · 6 clinical · 1 equipment · 4 research

SMF-T-0006 · draft

Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS)

Optic disc edema, globe flattening, choroidal folds and hyperopic shifts observed in long-duration astronauts.

Gravity FieldsHostile/Closed EnvironmentNeuro-ophthalmicNeurological & Cognitive

SMF-T-0002 · draft

Space Radiation Environment & Biological Effects

Beyond low Earth orbit, crews are exposed to galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events that are difficult to shield and raise long-term health concerns.

RadiationOncologyNeurological & Cognitive

Clinical articles (6)

SMF-C-0012 · protocol · draft

Behavioral health monitoring

What psychological problems have occurred in spaceflight, how agencies select, train, monitor and support crews, what isolation analogs teach us, and how to help with reintegration after return.

◆◆◇◇ Low · F A E

SMF-C-0014 · protocol · draft

Why spacewalks carry decompression risk, how prebreathe protocols prevent it, how DCS is recognized and treated without a hyperbaric chamber, and other EVA hazards (CO2, water in the helmet, hand injuries) — with links to dive and altitude medicine.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · E A F

SMF-C-0008 · protocol · draft

Orthostatic intolerance on landing

Why returning space travelers get lightheaded or faint when they stand, how agencies prevent it (fluid/salt loading, compression garments, recumbent seating), and how to assess and treat it in the ED or clinic.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E

SMF-C-0003 · countermeasure · draft

Radiation limits & monitoring

NASA's radiation limits in plain clinical terms, how crew dose is monitored, what shielding can and cannot do, and what it means for a patient's lifetime cancer screening.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · E C F M

SMF-C-0004 · protocol · draft

SANS management

How space agencies screen for and manage optic disc edema, globe flattening, choroidal folds and hyperopic shift in long-duration flyers — and how to evaluate a returning astronaut's eyes.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F A E

SMF-C-0007 · protocol · draft

Space motion sickness

Who gets space motion sickness, how it is graded, why promethazine is NASA's treatment of choice, what else is used, and how to manage the same symptoms after landing.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E

Equipment guides (1)

SMF-E-0001 · guide · draft

Pre-Flight & Post-Flight Clinic

A plain-language design guide for a clinic that certifies people before flight and evaluates them after landing: equipment by evaluation domain, what to do in-house versus refer out, a room-by-room layout and an essential / recommended / advanced build.

◆◆◆◇ Moderate · F E

Research pages (4)

RSK-02 · NASA risk · draft

Behavioral health & cognition

Long missions can strain mental health and thinking. Problems in flight have so far stayed below diagnostic levels, but analog data suggest risk grows with mission length and isolation.

◆◆◇◇ Low · F A E

STU-01 · landmark study · draft

NASA Twins Study

One identical twin spent a year on the ISS while his brother stayed on Earth as a genetic control. Most changes reversed within six months, but some did not.

◆◆◇◇ Low · F

STU-02 · landmark study · draft

Inspiration4 & SOMA

The 2024 Nature package on the first all-civilian orbital crew. It found that most changes from a 3-day flight reversed, and it launched an open atlas of astronaut biology.

◆◆◇◇ Low · F E

RSK-19 · NASA risk · draft

Hypoxia (exploration atmosphere)

To make frequent spacewalks practical, future habitats may run a lower-pressure, mildly hypoxic atmosphere, roughly like living at 4,000–8,300 ft. Effects over long periods are being studied.