Study on the influence of a long stay in an isolated environment with a few other persons on mental condition.

1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 08671102
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: JICHI MEDICAL SCHOOL
• Principal Investigator: TAKANO Kenji Jichi Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, an assistant professor, 医学部, 助教授 (10197113)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SEKIGUCHI Chiharu National Space Development Agency of Japan, Office of Space Utilization System,, 主任医長
• Project Period (FY): 1996 – 1997
• Keywords: isolated environment, / group dynamics, / space station, / psychometry, / space flight, / P300

Research Abstract

We conducted an experiment at the Astronaut Training Facility of the Tsukuba Space Center, in order to study the influence of a long study in an isolated environment with a few other persons on the mental condition. Eight subjects (7 mails, 1 female) remained in the isolation chamber for 48 hours. Physical and mental examinations were performed before the experiments, and they were found to be in good physical and mental condition. The subjects were then separated into two groups with staggered sleeping and working hours. We constantly observed the subjects by on a TV monitor. Immediately before and after the experiment, a physician and a psychiatrist examined them and we examined them in regard to P300 and the CMI (Cornell Medical Index).
While in the isolation chamber, the subjects wrote in German with a word processor, playd TV games, kept a diary, and discussed assigned topics. They then filled out the Uchida-Kraepelin Test and STAI (State Trait Anxiety Inventory) and STAXI (STAS : State and Trait Anger Scale+AX : Anger Expression Scale). The subjects were interviewed by the psychiatrist every day, we measured the monoamine and monoamine metabolite levels in their 24 hours urine.
Results : (1) The latency of P300 increased after the experiment but the latency of N1 was unchanged, (2) Monoamine (dopamine, noradrenalin, and adrenalin) and their metabolites (HVA,MHPG,DOPAC,5-HIAA) decreased in the second day than the first day, but the monoamine and metabolite levels differed from individual to individual. (3) The direct observations were found to be the more effective method of assessing the mental condition of the subjects than the psychometric test. (4) The group dynamics tended to be reflected in the subjects' diaries and in the one-on-one interviews.