NASA Rat Study: Behavioral and Metabolic Effects of Simulated Spaceflight Stressors

NASA's dataset examines the effects of simulated galactic cosmic ray irradiation and hindlimb unloading on Fischer 344 rats. It includes behavioral performance data from Open Field and Novel Object Recognition assays and long-term metabolic pathway analysis from plasma, hippocampus, and cortex samples collected six months post-exposure. The study was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling interactions between radiation and simulated microgravity based on behavioral assay results.
• Analyzing long-term alterations in plasma metabolic pathways like riboflavin and glutamate metabolism.
• Identifying plasma metabolite biomarkers correlated with behavioral performance measures.
• Studying the specific effects of control hindlimb unloading on brain and plasma metabolisms.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled NASA experiment with specified radiation doses (0.75 Gy, 1.5 Gy) and time points (2 months, 6 months).
• Analysis covers multiple biological systems: behavioral assays and metabolic pathways in plasma, hippocampus, and cortex.
• Study design includes a control hindlimb unloading condition, addressing a noted limitation of previous research.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is stored in a BIN file format, which may require specific tools for access and interpretation.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Experimental data from controlled animal study involving irradiation and hindlimb unloading.

Time Range

Behavioral assays conducted 2 months post-exposure; tissue samples processed 6 months post-exposure.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:09:34.309618; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Laboratory study, location unspecified.