New Concerns for Neurocognitive Function during Deep Space Exposures to Chronic, Low Dose-Rate, Neutron Radiation

As NASA prepares for a mission to Mars, concerns regarding the health risks associated with deep space radiation exposure have emerged. Until now, the impacts of such exposures have only been studied in animals after acute exposures, using dose rates ∼1.5×10 higher than those actually encountered in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	eNeuro Vol. 6; no. 4; p. ENEURO.0094-19.2019
Main Authors:	Acharya, Munjal M, Baulch, Janet E, Klein, Peter M, Baddour, Al Anoud D, Apodaca, Lauren A, Kramár, Eniko A, Alikhani, Leila, Garcia, Jr, Camillo, Angulo, Maria C, Batra, Raja S, Fallgren, Christine M, Borak, Thomas B, Stark, Craig E L, Wood, Marcello A, Britten, Richard A, Soltesz, Ivan, Limoli, Charles L
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Society for Neuroscience 01-07-2019
Subjects:	Animals Anxiety - etiology Cognition - radiation effects Cosmic Radiation - adverse effects Depression - etiology Extinction, Psychological - radiation effects Hippocampus - radiation effects Male Memory - radiation effects Mice, Inbred C57BL Neurons - radiation effects Neutrons - adverse effects New Research Photons - adverse effects Social Behavior Synaptic Transmission - radiation effects space radiation low dose-rate electrophysiology cognitive dysfunction neutrons long-term potentiation
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Summary:	As NASA prepares for a mission to Mars, concerns regarding the health risks associated with deep space radiation exposure have emerged. Until now, the impacts of such exposures have only been studied in animals after acute exposures, using dose rates ∼1.5×10 higher than those actually encountered in space. Using a new, low dose-rate neutron irradiation facility, we have uncovered that realistic, low dose-rate exposures produce serious neurocognitive complications associated with impaired neurotransmission. Chronic (6 month) low-dose (18 cGy) and dose rate (1 mGy/d) exposures of mice to a mixed field of neutrons and photons result in diminished hippocampal neuronal excitability and disrupted hippocampal and cortical long-term potentiation. Furthermore, mice displayed severe impairments in learning and memory, and the emergence of distress behaviors. Behavioral analyses showed an alarming increase in risk associated with these realistic simulations, revealing for the first time, some unexpected potential problems associated with deep space travel on all levels of neurological function.
Bibliography:	The authors declare no competing financial interests. This work was supported by UCI Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) KL2 training award KL2TR001416 (M.M.A.), NASA Specialized Center of Research (NSCOR) grant NNX15AK13G for funding the neutron irradiator, and NSCOR grant NNX15AI22G (R.A.B., I.S., C.L.L.). Author contributions: M.M.A., J.E.B., I.S., and C.L.L. designed research; M.M.A., J.E.B., P.M.K., A.A.D.B., L.A.A., E.A.K., L.A., C.G., M.C.A., R.S.B., and C.M.F. performed research; M.M.A., J.E.B., P.M.K., T.B.B., and C.L.L. contributed unpublished reagents/analytic tools; M.M.A., J.E.B., P.M.K., E.A.K., R.A.B., and I.S. analyzed data; M.M.A., J.E.B., P.M.K., C.E.L.S., M.A.W., R.A.B., I.S., and C.L.L. wrote the paper. M.M.A., J.E.B., and P.M.K. contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:	2373-2822 2373-2822
DOI:	10.1523/eneuro.0094-19.2019