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European isolation and confinement study. Mental performance

R J Vaernes1, T Bergan, A Lindrup

  • 1Norwegian Underwater Technology Center, Bergen.

Advances in Space Biology and Medicine
|January 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary
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Six astronauts experienced 28 days of isolation in a hyperbaric chamber. While simple tasks showed learning effects, complex cognitive functions like short-term memory showed some impairment, though overall mental performance remained stable.

Area of Science:

  • Space Medicine
  • Human Physiology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Understanding the effects of prolonged isolation and hyperbaric environments on human cognitive function is crucial for long-duration space missions.
  • Previous research has indicated potential impacts on mental performance, but specific effects in hyperbaric isolation require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the general and specific effects of a 28-day confinement in a hyperbaric chamber on astronauts' mental performance.
  • To evaluate changes in sustained attention, short-term memory, reaction time, and cognitive evoked brain potentials.

Main Methods:

  • Six astronauts (EMSInauts) underwent a 28-day isolation period in a hyperbaric chamber at low overpressure.
  • Standardized mental performance tests were administered, including operational vigilance, short-term memory, visual reaction time, and cognitive evoked potentials (N100, P300).

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Main Results:

  • A learning effect was observed in simple tasks like operational vigilance and visual reaction time over the 28 days.
  • Impairments were noted in more cognitively demanding tasks, specifically short-term memory.
  • While N100 latency remained unchanged, P300 latency showed variations, decreasing mid-isolation and increasing towards the end.

Conclusions:

  • Despite some transient individual impairments in demanding cognitive tests, overall mental performance in astronauts remained fundamentally stable during the 28-day hyperbaric isolation.
  • The findings suggest a basic resilience of cognitive functions in this specific environment, with observable learning effects in simpler tasks.