Space Shuttle Experiments Included Those on Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Respiration
The Neurolab Spacelab Mission: Neuroscience Research in Space presents the procedures and results of 26 experiments conducted on the effects of weightlessness on the brain and nervous system during a 1998 space shuttle mission.

The Neurolab Spacelab mission was a 16-day neuroscience research flight that focused on weightlessness related to five areas: the balance system; sensory integration and navigation; nervous system development; blood pressure control; and circadian rhythms, sleep, and respiration.

The book is divided into three sections: scientific reports from the individual research teams summarizing their research; technical reports that describe particularly interesting procedures or special equipment developed specifically for the experiments; and crew members’ perspectives on significant aspects of the mission. Introductions and abstracts provide an overview, while the scientific and technical reports on the experiments offer more in-depth information.

The scientific reports section includes three experiments on how spaceflight influences circadian rhythms, sleep, and respiration. The first experiment investigated sleep, circadian rhythms, cognitive performance, and light-dark cycles in astronauts, and whether melatonin can treat sleep problems. The second studied the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing and sleep disruption. The final experiment used rats to test whether microgravity would affect the circadian timing system in mammals.

A description of the portable sleep monitoring system used in the sleep studies—including a special suit for measuring respiratory movements, sleep headgear that provided electroencephalography and eye movement data, and a portable recording device for processing and saving data—is provided in the book’s technical reports section. Photos taken aboard the space shuttle, as well as charts and illustrations, are also included throughout the book.

The Neurolab Spacelab Mission: Neuroscience Research in Space, published by NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, was edited by Jay C. Buckey, Jr, MD, and Jerry L. Homick, PhD. Buckey was a payload specialist astronaut on board the Neurolab flight, and Homick was the mission scientist on the ground.

To order The Neurolab Spacelab Mission: Neuroscience Research in Space, contact the US Government Online Bookstore at (866) 512-1800; e-mail: contactcenter@gpo.gov; or http://bookstore.gpo.gov.
Danielle Cohen is an associate editor of Sleep Review.