Effectiveness of caffeine and blue-enriched light on cognitive performance and electroencephalography correlates of alertness in a spaceflight robotics simulation.
Erin E Flynn-EvansMelanie RuegerAndrew M LiuRaquel C Galvan-GarzaAlan NatapoffCharles M OmanSteven W LockleyPublished in: NPJ microgravity (2023)
Human cognitive impairment associated with sleep loss, circadian misalignment and work overload is a major concern in any high stress occupation but has potentially catastrophic consequences during spaceflight human robotic interactions. Two safe, wake-promoting countermeasures, caffeine and blue-enriched white light have been studied on Earth and are available on the International Space Station. We therefore conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial examining the impact of regularly timed low-dose caffeine (0.3 mg per kg per h) and moderate illuminance blue-enriched white light (~90 lux, ~88 melEDI lux, 6300 K) as countermeasures, separately and combined, in a multi-night simulation of sleep-wake shifts experienced during spaceflight among 16 participants (7 F, ages 26-55). We find that chronic administration of low-dose caffeine improves subjective and objective correlates of alertness and performance during an overnight work schedule involving chronic sleep loss and circadian misalignment, although we also find that caffeine disrupts subsequent sleep. We further find that 90 lux of blue-enriched light moderately reduces electroencephalogram (EEG) power in the theta and delta regions, which are associated with sleepiness. These findings support the use of low-dose caffeine and potentially blue-enriched white light to enhance alertness and performance among astronauts and shiftworking populations.
Keyphrases
- low dose
- sleep quality
- endothelial cells
- physical activity
- high dose
- cognitive impairment
- light emitting
- randomized controlled trial
- depressive symptoms
- clinical trial
- squamous cell carcinoma
- obstructive sleep apnea
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- phase ii
- pluripotent stem cells
- phase iii
- high intensity
- minimally invasive
- open label
- double blind
- transcranial magnetic stimulation
- high frequency
- stress induced
- high density