NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Effect of gravity on the caloric stimulation of the inner earRobert Barany won the 1914 Nobel Prize in medicine for his convection hypothesis for caloric stimulation. Microgravity caloric tests aboard the 1983 SpaceLab 1 mission produced nystagmus results that contradicted the basic premise of Barany's convection theory. In this paper, we present a fluid structural analysis of the caloric stimulation of the lateral semicircular canal. Direct numerical simulations indicate that on earth, natural convection is the dominant mechanism for endolymphatic flow. However, in the microgravity environment of orbiting spacecraft, where buoyancy effects are mitigated, an expansive convection becomes the sole mechanism for producing endolymph motion and cupular displacement. Transient 1 g and microgravity case studies are presented to delineate the different dynamic behaviors of the 1 g and microgravity endolymphatic flows. The associated fluid-structural interactions are also analyzed based on the time evolution of cupular displacements.
Document ID
20050148142
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Kassemi, Mohammad
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Deserranno, Dimitri
Oas, John G.
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Volume: 1027
ISSN: 0077-8923
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available