Prolonged stay in Isolated, Confined, and Extreme (ICE) environments, where the regular light/dark cycle is absent, can induce sleep deprivation and a cascade of adverse mental and physical health effects. An ongoing research project among the overwintering crew at the Concordia research station in Antarctica is investigating which genetic and epigenetic mechanisms may support human adaptation under these exceptional conditions.
The Circadian rhythm adaptation in extreme environments (CIRCADAPT) project is one of eight research initiatives selected by the European Space Agency, to which 11 of the 12 overwintering crew members spending 12 months at the Concordia Station are participating. The base presents a challenging setting, characterised by extremely low temperatures (reaching –90?°C during the Antarctic winter), the absence of a light–dark cycle for roughly two-thirds of the year, hypobaric hypoxia due to the station’s altitude (3233?m), and complete physical isolation from other human settlements. No other life form is present in the surroundings.
The study protocol comprises blood, saliva, and urine sampling; electrocardiographic, actigraphic, and polysomnographic monitoring; and self-administered questionnaires assessing daytime somnolence, sleep quality, chronotype, and mental well-being. Assessments are conducted before departure, then after one, three, six, and nine months in Antarctica, and finally upon return at the end of the mission.
The genetic profile and methylome changes will be characterised in blood samples, enabling the identification of genomic variants and epigenetic modifications associated with adaptation to ICE conditions. The circadian rhythm of melatonin and cortisol secretion will be assessed through serial saliva sampling, and biomarkers of oxidative stress will be quantified in urine samples. Instrumental measurements will be matched with biological monitoring, genetic polymorphism analyses, and questionnaire-derived indicators to construct the overall picture of physiological, behavioural, and molecular adaptation throughout the overwintering period.
The results of an exploratory analysis of questionnaire data, comparing perceived sleep quality and daytime somnolence after one month in Antarctica with baseline values collected before departure, will be presented.
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Speaker
Professor Pierluigi Cocco
Role: Professor
Organisation: The University of Manchester
Biography: Prof. Cocco retired as ordinary professor of Occupational Medicine at the University of Cagliari, Italy, in September 2020, and is currently appointed as honorary professor of Occupational Medicine at the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, Division of Population Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, U.K. Since more than 40 years, his main field of research has been occupational and environmental epidemiology, in collaboration with the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and by conducting independent research in Italy.
