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Comprehensive Understanding of Inactivity-Induced Gait Alteration in Rodents

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Postural reflexes, balance control, and functional mobility with long-duration head-down bed rest.

Millard F Reschke¹, Jacob J Bloomberg, William H Paloski

¹Neurosciences Laboratories, Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Mail Code SK272, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058, USA. millard.f.reschke@nasa.gov

Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine

|May 30, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Head-down bed rest effectively simulates spaceflight sensorimotor changes, impacting reflexes and mobility. Interventions targeting foot afferentation may mitigate these effects.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Human Physiology
Space Medicine

Background:

Spaceflight significantly alters sensorimotor behavior.
Distinguishing somatosensory from visual-vestibular changes is challenging.
Head-down bed rest serves as a ground-based analog for spaceflight effects.

Purpose of the Study:

To differentiate somatosensory changes from graviceptor alterations in sensorimotor behavior post-spaceflight.
To evaluate the efficacy of bed rest as an analog for spaceflight-induced sensorimotor changes.

Main Methods:

Monosynaptic stretch reflex (MSR) and functional stretch reflex (FSR) measurements.
Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) for balance control.
Functional mobility test (FMT) for functional performance.

Main Results:

Increased MSR latencies and peak magnitude, but no significant FSR latency changes.
No significant impact on balance control, though head movements affected posture.
Increased time to complete the FMT, indicating reduced functional mobility.

Conclusions:

Long-duration head-down bed rest accurately mimics sensorimotor responses to spaceflight.
Modifications to the foot's sensory input during bed rest may inform countermeasures.
Maintaining support afferentation for postural muscles is crucial for mitigating spaceflight effects.