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Counteracting Muscle Atrophy using Galvanic Stimulation of the Vestibular SystemThe unloading of weight bearing from antigravity muscles during space flight produces significant muscle atrophy and is one of the most serious health problems facing the space program. Various exercise regimens have been developed and used either alone or in combination with pharmacological techniques to ameliorate this atrophy, but no effective countermeasure exists for this problem. The research in this project was conducted to evaluate the potential use of vestibular galvanic stimulation (VGS) to prevent muscle atrophy resulting from unloading of weight bearing from antigravity muscles. This approach was developed based on two concepts related to the process of maintaining the status of the anti-gravity neuromuscular system. These two premises are: (1) The "tone," or bias on spinal motorneurons is affected by vestibular projections that contribute importantly to maintaining muscle health and status. (2) VGS can be used to modify the excitability, or 'tone' of motorneuron of antigravity muscles. Thus, the strategy is to use VGS to modify the gain of vestibular projections to antigravity muscles and thereby change the general status of these muscles.
Document ID
19990113182
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Contractor or Grantee Report
Authors
Fox, Robert A.
(San Jose State Univ. CA United States)
Polyakov, Igor
(San Jose State Univ. CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
February 11, 1999
Subject Category
Aerospace Medicine
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC2-1022
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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