Sympathetic nerve responses in humans to short and long term simulation of microgravity

The present paper aimed to review findings obtained by our researches to elucidate sympathetic nerve mechanisms of cardiovascular deconditioning in humans exposed to short and long term simulation of microgravity. Sympathetic nerve activity in humans has been so far investigated using indirect methods by analyzing the activities of effector organs, such as heart rate, blood flow, blood pressure, sweating etc. or by measuring the plasma nor-adrenaline level. Now we have a technique called microneurography which has enabled us to measure directly the sympathetic nerve activity form human peripheral nerves. The microneurography technique was used for the first time before, during and after the Space Shuttle "Neurolab" mission launched in April 1998 to elucidate how sympathetic nerve activity in astronauts is modified by exposure to microgravity in space. In this paper, we would like to present our recent findings concerning sympathetic nerve responses to short and long term microgravity simulated by different methods.