Key result
Three weeks of normobaric hypoxia had no effects on psycho-neuroendocrine responses, whereas bed rest induced neuroendocrine alterations that were not influenced by hypoxia.
Why the study?
Does normobaric hypoxia and bed rest alter psycho-neuroendocrine function in healthy male subjects?
Does normobaric hypoxia and bed rest alter psycho-neuroendocrine function in healthy male subjects?
Bed rest, but not normobaric hypoxia, induces neuroendocrine alterations in healthy males, suggesting immobilization is the primary driver of stress responses in these simulated conditions.
Bed rest was associated with neuroendocrine alterations unaffected by hypoxia; hypothesis-generating for immobilization stress, needs prospective validation.
Immobilization and hypoxemia are conditions often seen in patients suffering from severe heart insufficiency or primary pulmonary diseases (e.g. fibrosis, emphysema). In future planned long-duration and exploration class space missions (including habitats on the moon and Mars), healthy individuals will encounter such a combination of reduced physical activity and oxygen tension by way of technical reasons and the reduced gravitational forces. These overall unconventional extraterrestrial conditions can result in yet unknown consequences for the regulation of stress-permissive, psycho-neuroendocrine responses, which warrant appropriate measures in order to mitigate foreseeable risks. The Planetary Habitat Simulation Study (PlanHab) investigated these two space-related conditions: bed rest as model of reduced gravity and normobaric hypoxia, with the aim of examining their influence on psycho-neuroendocrine responses. We hypothesized that both conditions independently increase measures of psychological stress and enhance neuroendocrine markers of stress, and that these effects would be exacerbated by combined treatment. The cross-over study composed of three interventions (NBR, normobaric normoxic horizontal bed rest; HBR, normobaric hypoxic horizontal bed rest; HAMB, normobaric hypoxic ambulatory confinement) with 14 male subjects during three sequential campaigns separated by 4 months. The psychological state was determined through three questionnaires and principal neuroendocrine responses were evaluated by measuring cortisol in saliva, catecholamine in urine, and endocannabinoids in blood. The results revealed no effects after 3 weeks of normobaric hypoxia on psycho-neuroendocrine responses. Conversely, bed rest induced neuroendocrine alterations that were not influenced by hypoxia.
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Strewe et al. (2017) studied Healthy individuals (simulating space-related conditions) (n=14). Normobaric hypoxia and bed rest vs. Normobaric normoxic horizontal bed rest and ambulatory confinement was evaluated on Psycho-neuroendocrine responses (psychological state, cortisol, catecholamine, endocannabinoids). Three weeks of normobaric hypoxia had no effects on psycho-neuroendocrine responses, whereas bed rest induced neuroendocrine alterations that were not influenced by hypoxia.
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