Arm end-point trajectories under normal and micro-gravity environments

The purpose of the present experiment was to study the way in which the CNS represents gravitational force during vertical arm pointing movements. Movements in upward and downward directions were executed by two cosmonauts in normal-gravity and weightlessness. Analyses focused upon finger kinematics in the sagittal plane. In normal-gravity, downward direction movements showed smaller curvatures and greater relative times to peak velocity (AT/MT) when compared with upward direction movements. Data from the weightlessness experiments showed that whilst downward movements decreased their curvature during space flight, curvatures of upward movements changed slightly. Furthermore, AT/MT was modified during the first days in micro-gravity for both directions, recovering, however, to pre-flight values after 18 days in space. Results from the present study, provide evidence that gravitational force is centrally treated constituting an important component of the motor plan for vertical arm movements.