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Disruption of postural readaptation by inertial stimuli following space flightPostural instability (relative to pre-flight) has been observed in all shuttle astronauts studied upon return from orbital missions. Postural stability was more closely examined in four shuttle astronaut subjects before and after an 8 day orbital mission. Results of the pre- and post-flight postural stability studies were compared with a larger (n = 34) study of astronauts returning from shuttle missions of similar duration. Results from both studies indicated that inadequate vestibular feedback was the most significant sensory deficit contributing to the postural instability observed post flight. For two of the four IML-1 astronauts, post-flight postural instability and rate of recovery toward their earth-normal performance matched the performance of the larger sample. However, post-flight postural control in one returning astronaut was substantially below mean performance. This individual, who was within normal limits with respect to postural control before the mission, indicated that recovery to pre-flight postural stability was also interrupted by a post-flight pitch plane rotation test. A similar, though less extreme departure from the mean recovery trajectory was present in another astronaut following the same post-flight rotation test. The pitch plane rotation stimuli included otolith stimuli in the form of both transient tangential and constant centripetal linear acceleration components. We inferred from these findings that adaptation on orbit and re-adaptation on earth involved a change in sensorimotor integration of vestibular signals most likely from the otolith organs.
Document ID
20040141785
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Black, F. O.
(Legacy Holladay Park Medical Center, Legacy Health System Portland, OR, United States)
Paloski, W. H.
Reschke, M. F.
Igarashi, M.
Guedry, F.
Anderson, D. J.
Date Acquired
August 22, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1999
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of vestibular research : equilibrium & orientation
Volume: 9
Issue: 5
ISSN: 0957-4271
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: 2 RO1 DC 00205
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
NASA Center JSC
manned
Flight Experiment
short duration
NASA Program Biomedical Research and Countermeasures
NASA Experiment Number 284058
Non-NASA Center
Clinical Trial
STS-42 Shuttle Project
NASA Discipline Neuroscience

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