Chapter 7. Neurosensory and Sensory-Motor Function

Diagnostic Accuracy of Dynamic Posturography Testing After Short-Duration Spaceflight

“…The sustained absence of gravitational stimulation during spacefl ight causes adaptive neurological responses that transiently disrupt sensorimotor functions after fl ight as the CNS reestablishes an environmentally appropriate interpretation of the available sensory information ( 19 ). During this readaptation period, crewmembers exhibit sensorimotor performance defi cits, are at increased risk of slips, trips, and falls, and have degraded abilities to control vehicles and other complex systems.…”

Emergency medicine in space

“…Space motion sickness (SMS) is a subset of SAS and includes symptoms of flushing, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and malaise. Space motion sickness usually begins within an hour of flight and lasts no longer than 72 h. The incidence of SMS has been reported to be 50% and 35-70% of crewmembers based on Russian and American experience, respectively (37). Intramuscular promethazine is the current treatment of choice.…”

Neurovestibular considerations for sub-orbital space flight: A framework for future investigation

“…Nevertheless other results indicate that otolith modulation during upright pitch does affect the VOR [13–15], a conclusion confirmed by low-frequency eccentric rotation [16]. Results from some flight studies suggest that this contribution may be modifiable [1]. Gain during active pitching while upright is enhanced soon after return to earth, relative to in-flight and after earth re-adaptation [17].…”

“…Although they are too numerous to review in detail here, it is clear that there are often serious disruptions in sensorimotor function [1], which have perhaps been most well-quantified in postflight testing [2–5]. While little or no hard evidence relates sensorimotor deficits to astronaut performance, a correlation has been noted between decrements in shuttle landing performance and impaired performance in some aspects of a qualitative postflight neurological-assessment test [6,7].…”

“…Welch and colleagues [59] showed dual adaptation in the case of prism displacement and a pointing task. Veteran astronauts experience fewer and less severe symptoms of adaptation to space flight on subsequent flights [1], and presumably people who wear spectacles and especially bifocals must exhibit the appropriate VOR for each lens magnification [56] – both likely manifestations of context specificity. We have been able to adapt a response (saccades to visual targets) to a particular change in gain in one gif level, and to another gain in a second gif level, and then show that the gif level itself – the context cue – can recall the previously-learned adapted responses [60,61].…”