Artificial gravity in space: Vestibular tolerance assessed by human centrifuge spinning on Earth (original) (raw)
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Effects of cosmonaut vestibular training on vestibular function prior to spaceflight
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2001
The purpose of this study was to quantify the eects of repetitive Coriolis and cross-coupled stimulations, similar to the vestibular training the cosmonauts are exposed to prior to their space¯ight, on vestibular function in control subjects on Earth. Ten volunteers were passively rotated in yaw on a rotating chair while executing standardized pitch head-and-trunk movements. The chair stopped to change direction after 12 head-and-trunk movements were made. The runs were grouped in sessions of ten,which were repeated daily for 10 days. The severity of motion sickness was assessed by subjective judgment and measurements of skin pallor and salivary total protein concentration, and nystagmus was recorded. The severity of motion sickness and nystagmus decreased during cosmonaut vestibular training (CVT). One month after the end of CVT, nystagmus responses were still about 20±30% lower than control values. These results indicate that CVT induces a habituation of vestibular responses. One important implication of this experiment concerns space studies on cosmonauts who are exposed to such vestibular training prior to their space¯ight.
Modeling sensory conflict and motion sickness in artificial gravity
Acta Astronautica, 2008
It is necessary to characterize the vestibular response associated with head movements for various centrifuge rotation rates if one is to explore short-radius centrifugation as a viable form of artificial gravity for future spaceflights. An existing motion sickness model was modified to design an adaptation protocol to facilitate head movements at a centrifuge speed of 30 rpm. Modification involved addition of a quantitative sensory conflict model to serve as the input to the motion sickness model. Sensory conflict in this context was based on the dynamics of head movements during centrifugation as well as a previously developed transfer function relating angular accelerations to semicircular canal firing rates. Additionally, an adaptation parameter based on comparison between model predictions and previous experimental results was added. A 3-day incremental adaptation protocol was conducted in which 16 subjects successfully made 30 yaw head movements during rotation at 30 rpm on day 3. Motion sickness results showed good agreement with model predictions and demonstrated the feasibility of adaptation to increasingly high rotation rates.
Posture, locomotion, spatial orientation, and motion sickness as a function of space flight
Brain Research Reviews, 1998
This article summarizes a variety of newly published findings obtained by the Neuroscience Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, and attempts to place this work within a historical framework of previous results on posture, locomotion, motion sickness, and perceptual responses that have been observed in conjunction with space flight. In this context, we have taken the view that correct transduction and integration of signals from all sensory systems is essential to maintaining stable vision, postural and locomotor control, and eye-hand coordination as components of spatial orientation. The plasticity of the human central nervous system allows individuals to adapt to altered stimulus conditions encountered in a microgravity environment. However, until some level of adaptation is achieved, astronauts and cosmonauts often experience space motion sickness, disturbances in motion control and eye-hand coordination, unstable vision, and illusory motion of the self, the visual scene, or both. Many of the same types of disturbances encountered in space flight reappear immediately after crew members return to earth. The magnitude of these neurosensory, sensory-motor and perceptual disturbances, and the time needed to recover from them, tend to vary as a function of mission duration and the space travelers prior experience with the stimulus rearrangement of space flight. To adequately chart the development of neurosensory changes associated with space flight, we recommend development of enhanced eye movement systems and body position measurement. We also advocate the use of a human small radius centrifuge as both a research tool and as a means of providing on-orbit countermeasures that will lessen the impact of living for long periods of time with out exposure to altering gravito-inertial forces. q
Artificial gravity : neurovestibular adaptation to incremental exposure to centrifugation
2004
In order to counteract the debilitating effects of the space environment on the human body, short‐radius intermittent centrifugation is investigated as a possible means to expose astro‐ nauts to artificial gravity. Whereas AG is efficient in providing stimuli for muscles, bones and cardiovascular system, short‐radius centrifugation elicits discomfort and illusory sensa‐ tions of motion if particular head movements are made while spinning. Past research has shown that human beings can adapt to these sensations and undergo various stimuli with‐ out the disturbing effects of motion sickness, sensations of tumbling and inappropriate eye movements. However, current protocols for adaptation basically consist in repeated expo‐ sure to the discomfort. This solution is not satisfactory because the drop‐out rate oscillates between 30 and 50%. Since it is not acceptable to spend days of training on astronauts who, in the end, because of this training, could become unsuitable for flight, it is ...
Artificial gravity: A possible countermeasure for post-flight orthostatic intolerance
Acta Astronautica, 2005
Four payload crewmembers were exposed to sustained linear acceleration in a centrifuge during the Neurolab (STS-90) flight. In contrast to previous studies, otolith-ocular reflexes were preserved during and after flight. This raised the possibility that artificial gravity may have acted as a countermeasure to the deconditioning of otolith-ocular reflexes. None of the astronauts who were centrifuged had orthostatic intolerance when tested with head-up passive tilt after flight. Thus, centrifugation may also have helped maintain post-flight hemodynamic responses to orthostasis by preserving the gain of the otolith-sympathetic reflex. A comparison with two fellow Neurolab orbiter crewmembers not exposed to artificial gravity provided some support for this hypothesis. One of the two had hemodynamic changes in response to post-flight tilt similar to orthostatically intolerant subjects from previous missions. More data is necessary to evaluate this hypothesis, but if it were proven correct, in-flight short-radius centrifugation may help counteract orthostatic intolerance after space flight.
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2013
When applied individually, exercise countermeasures employed to date do not fully protect the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems during prolonged spaceflight. Recent ground-based research suggests that it is necessary to perform exercise countermeasures within some form of artificial gravity to prevent microgravity deconditioning. In this regard, it is important to provide normal foot-ward loading and intravascular hydrostaticpressure gradients to maintain musculoskeletal and cardiovascular function. Aerobic exercise within a centrifuge restores cardiovascular function, while aerobic exercise within lower body negative pressure restores cardiovascular function and helps protect the musculoskeletal system. Resistive exercise with vibration stimulation may increase the effectiveness of resistive exercise by preserving muscle function, allowing lower intensity exercises, and possibly reducing risk of loss of vision during prolonged spaceflight. Inexpensive methods to induce artificial gravity alone (to counteract head-ward fluid shifts) and exercise during artificial gravity (for example, by shortarm centrifuge or exercise within lower body negative pressure) should be developed further and evaluated as multi-system countermeasures.
Vestibular and Cardiovascular Responses After Long-Duration Spaceflight
Aerospace medicine and human performance, 2020
BACKGROUND: The vestibulo-sympathetic reflex operates during orthostatically challenging movements to initiate cardiovascular responses in advance of a baroreceptor-mediated response. The objective of this study was to determine whether there was an association between changes in vestibular function and cardiovascular responses during a prone-to-stand movement in astronauts after return from long-duration spaceflight. METHODS: Thirteen crewmembers who participated in International Space Station missions were tested before spaceflight and 1 d after landing. Vestibular function was evaluated by computerized dynamic posturography while their head was erect and while they performed dynamic head tilts. Heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure were measured while the subjects were in prone and standing positions. RESULTS: The 21.4% increase in the astronauts' heart rate during the prone to stand maneuver after spaceflight correlated significantly with their spaceflight-induced 48.7% decrease in postural stability during dynamic head tilts. The larger mean arterial pressure in the prone position after spaceflight compared to preflight (+7%) also correlated with the postflight decrease in postural stability during dynamic head tilts. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that an appropriate vestibular function is important to evoke optimum vestibulo-sympathetic response during orthostatically challenging voluntary movements performed after spaceflight. They also suggest that there may be a greater need to generate an anticipatory cardiovascular response after spaceflight.
Acta Astronautica, 2008
Current countermeasures to space flight related physiological deconditioning have not been sufficiently effective. We believe that a comprehensive countermeasure is the combination of intermittent centrifugation (artificial gravity) and exercise. We aim to test the long-term effectiveness of this combination in terms of fitness benefits. As a first-order determination of effectiveness, subjects participated in an eight-week exercise program. Three times per week, they exercised using a stair-stepper on a shortradius (2 m) centrifuge spinning at 30 RPM, maintaining a target heart rate that was systematically increased over the exercise period. During the sessions, foot forces and stepping cadence, heart rate, and perceived exertion were measured. Before and after the eight-week exercise program, measurements included: body fat percentage, bone mineral content, quadriceps extension strength, push-ups endurance, stepping cadence for a given heart rate, and maximum stepping endurance. We find that stairstepping on a centrifuge is safe and comfortable. Preliminary fitness results indicate that stair-stepping on a centrifuge may be effective in improving aerobic fitness, body composition, and strength. These results indicate that such a combination may also be effective as a countermeasure to space flight deconditioning.
Decreased otolith-mediated vestibular response in 25 astronauts induced by long duration spaceflight
Journal of Neurophysiology, 2016
The information coming from the vestibular otolith organs is important for the brain when reflexively making appropriate visual and spinal corrections to maintain balance. Symptoms related to failed balance control and navigation are commonly observed in astronauts returning from space. To investigate the effect of microgravity exposure on the otoliths, we studied the otolith-mediated responses elicited by centrifugation in a group of 25 astronauts before and after 6 mo of spaceflight. Ocular counterrolling (OCR) is an otolith-driven reflex that is sensitive to head tilt with regard to gravity and tilts of the gravito-inertial acceleration vector during centrifugation. When comparing pre- and postflight OCR, we found a statistically significant decrease of the OCR response upon return. Nine days after return, the OCR was back at preflight level, indicating a full recovery. Our large study sample allows for more general physiological conclusions about the effect of prolonged microgra...