COVID-19-The largest isolation study in history: the value of shared learnings from spaceflight analogs.
Alexander ChoukerAlexander C StahnPublished in: NPJ microgravity (2020)
The world is currently experiencing the largest isolation experiment in history. In an attempt to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic numerous countries across the world have been shutting down economies, education, and public life. Governments have mandated strict regulations of quarantine and social distancing in an unprecedented manner. The effects of these measures on brain, behavior, neuro-humoral and immunological responses in humans are largely unknown. Life science research for space exploration has a long history in using high-fidelity spaceflight analogs to better understand the effect of prolonged isolation and confinement on genes, molecules, cells, neural circuits, and physiological systems to behavior. We here propose to leverage the extensive experience and data from these studies and build a bridge between spaceflight research and clinical settings to foster transdisciplinary approaches to characterize the neurobehavioral effects on the immune system and vice versa. These approaches are expected to develop innovative and efficient health screening tools, diagnostic systems, and treatments to mitigate health risks associated with isolation and confinement on Earth and during future exploratory spaceflight missions.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- mental health
- public health
- coronavirus disease
- sars cov
- induced apoptosis
- molecular docking
- immune response
- genome wide
- gene expression
- risk assessment
- resting state
- climate change
- quality improvement
- dna methylation
- transcription factor
- health information
- blood brain barrier
- artificial intelligence
- social media