The Foundations of Lifelong Health Are Built in Early Childhood

Explains the need to design early childhood policies and programs to provide stable and responsive relationships; safe and supportive physical, chemical, and built environments; and sound nutrition for lifelong health promotion and disease prevention

Cognitive Decay And Memory Recall During Long Duration Spaceflight

This dissertation aims to advance the efficacy of Long-Duration Space Flight (LDSF) pre-flight and in-flight training programs, acknowledging existing knowledge gaps in NASA\u27s methodologies. The research\u27s objective is to optimize the cognitive workload of LDSF crew members, enhance their neurocognitive functionality, and provide more meaningful work experiences, particularly for Mars missions.The study addresses identified shortcomings in current training and learning strategies and simulation-based training systems, focusing on areas requiring quantitative measures for astronaut proficiency and training effectiveness assessment. The project centers on understanding cognitive decay and memory loss under LDSF-related stressors, seeking to establish when such cognitive decline exceeds acceptable performance levels throughout mission phases. The research acknowledges the limitations of creating a near-orbit environment due to resource constraints and the need to develop engaging tasks for test subjects. Nevertheless, it underscores the potential impact on future space mission training and other high-risk professions. The study further explores astronaut training complexities, the challenges encountered in LDSF missions, and the cognitive processes involved in such demanding environments. The research employs various cognitive and memory testing events, integrating neuroimaging techniques to understand cognition\u27s neural mechanisms and memory. It also explores Rasmussen\u27s S-R-K behaviors and Brain Network Theory’s (BNT) potential for measuring forgetting, cognition, and predicting training needs. The multidisciplinary approach of the study reinforces the importance of integrating insights from cognitive psychology, behavior analysis, and brain connectivity research. Research experiments were conducted at the University of North Dakota\u27s Integrated Lunar Mars Analog Habitat (ILMAH), gathering data from selected subjects via cognitive neuroscience tools and Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings to evaluate neurocognitive performance. The data analysis aimed to assess brain network activations during mentally demanding activities and compare EEG power spectra across various frequencies, latencies, and scalp locations. Despite facing certain challenges, including inadequacies of the current adapter boards leading to analysis failure, the study provides crucial lessons for future research endeavors. It highlights the need for swift adaptation, continual process refinement, and innovative solutions, like the redesign of adapter boards for high radio frequency noise environments, for the collection of high-quality EEG data. In conclusion, while the research did not reveal statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups, it furnished valuable insights and underscored the need to optimize astronaut performance, well-being, and mission success. The study contributes to the ongoing evolution of training methodologies, with implications for future space exploration endeavors

Neurofly 2008 abstracts : the 12th European Drosophila neurobiology conference 6-10 September 2008 Wuerzburg, Germany

This volume consists of a collection of conference abstracts

Sleep in the Arabian oryx, Oryx leucoryx

Original published work submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Johannesburg, 2018The evolution and function of sleep remains an enigma in modern science. Significant variation can be observed within species and across taxa. Little is understood about how sleep exists, or presents itself in species surviving in extreme conditions. For example, harsh desert ecosystems with notably lower survival rates for resident species. It has been hypothesized that specialized sleep-related behaviours impact thermoregulation to promote survival advantage. The threatened Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), a member of the Cetartiodactyl superorder, is a large desert dwelling ungulate species successfully residing in the arid zones of the Middle East. Arabian Oryx exhibit numerous morphophysiological adaptations and capabilities to cope with their harsh environment. The current thesis provides an examination of the neuroanatomy, physiology and behavioural patterns related to sleep in wild, freeroaming Arabian oryx under natural conditions. It was our objective to determine whether the extreme conditions and climate of the Arabian Desert has led to novelties within the organization of the oryx’s sleep related neuronal architecture, seasonal behaviour patterns and sleep physiology. Using immunohistochemistry and stereology our results indicate the sleep related nuclei in the brain of the oryx exhibit a typical mammalian organizational plan with additional order-specific and novel, species-specific features. Actigraphy revealed that oryx exhibit temporal niche switching patterns seasonally presenting with winter diurnal- and summer nocturnal activity and intermittent patterns during the transitional periods of spring and autumn. Polysomnography results indicate novel sleep patterns between seasons and physiologically confirm activity-based temporal niche switching at a seasonal level. Our work covers the first examination of the Arabian oryx brain sleep centers as well as its yearlong activity patterns. Importantly, it is the first examination of physiological sleep in wild mammals within a desert environment. Our results suggest that ambient temperature acts a dominant driving force for the adaptive behavioural and physiological features described. The Arabian oryx is a remarkable species, well adapted to such an extreme environment and its highly plastic survival mechanisms appear unique. Considering the continual desertification of our planet and the predicted consequences of climate change, knowledge of such species and their continued conservation is of vital importanceXL201