Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026
05:02
Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction
Published on: August 30, 2019
7.8K
Vestibular brain changes within 70 days of head down bed rest
Peng Yuan1, Vincent Koppelmans1, Patricia Reuter-Lorenz2
1School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Human Brain Mapping
|March 13, 2018
Summary
Head-down-tilt bed rest (HDBR) alters brain activity, increasing vestibular processing. This adaptation to reduced sensory input during HDBR may reduce neural efficiency, impacting balance and mobility.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Space Physiology
- Human Adaptation
Background:
- Head-down-tilt bed rest (HDBR) simulates spaceflight's unloading and fluid shifts.
- HDBR is known to cause balance changes attributed to sensory reweighting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural changes in vestibular processing during HDBR.
- To understand how HDBR affects the brain's response to vestibular stimulation.
Main Methods:
- Thirteen men underwent a 70-day HDBR intervention.
- Balance, mobility, and brain activity (fMRI) were measured at 7 time points.
- Vestibular stimulation was applied via skull taps.
Main Results:
- Vestibular cortex activation increased, particularly in the insular cortex, during HDBR.
- Cerebellar, motor, and somatosensory cortices showed decreased activation.
- Increased frontal, parietal, and occipital activation correlated with greater balance and mobility decrements.
Conclusions:
- HDBR induces neuroplastic changes in vestibular processing.
- The brain upregulates vestibular input to compensate for reduced somatosensory input.
- Reduced neural efficiency and sensory reweighting occur during prolonged unloading.
Related Concept Videos
01:21The Resting Membrane Potential
143.3K
Overview
143.3K
01:20Capillary Beds
7.3K
Capillary beds are networks of tiny blood vessels that play a crucial role in the circulatory system. These beds are where the exchange of gases, nutrients, and waste products occurs between the blood and surrounding tissues. Each capillary bed consists of numerous capillaries, which are the smallest blood vessels in the body, typically only one cell-thick. This thinness allows for the efficient diffusion of substances.
Capillaries connect arterioles, small branches of arteries, to venules,...
Capillaries connect arterioles, small branches of arteries, to venules,...
7.3K
01:29The Vestibular System
44.1K
The vestibular system is a set of inner ear structures that provide a sense of balance and spatial orientation. This system is comprised of structures within the labyrinth of the inner ear, including the cochlea and two otolith organs—the utricle and saccule. The labyrinth also contains three semicircular canals—superior, posterior, and horizontal—that are oriented on different planes.
44.1K
01:24Resting Membrane Potential
22.1K
The relative difference in electrical charge, or voltage, between the inside and the outside of a cell membrane, is called the membrane potential. It is generated by differences in permeability of the membrane to various ions and the concentrations of these ions across the membrane.
The Inside of a Neuron is More Negative
The membrane potential of a cell can be measured by inserting a microelectrode into a cell and comparing the charge to a reference electrode in the extracellular fluid. The...
The Inside of a Neuron is More Negative
The membrane potential of a cell can be measured by inserting a microelectrode into a cell and comparing the charge to a reference electrode in the extracellular fluid. The...
22.1K
01:15Resting Potential Decay
6.5K
The resting membrane potential of a neuron (-70mV) is sustained due to the selective ion permeability of the membrane. At the resting potential, the membrane is slightly permeable to ions like sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−) and highly permeable to potassium ions (K+). Differences in the ions' concentration inside the cell compared to the outside are maintained by membrane transport proteins like channels and pumps.
At rest, the K+ is the main ion that moves across the membrane...
At rest, the K+ is the main ion that moves across the membrane...
6.5K
01:11Pressure Variation in a Fluid at Rest
857
In a fluid at rest, the pressure at any point beneath the fluid surface depends solely on the depth, not on the container's shape or size. This principle, known as hydrostatic pressure, arises because, in stationary fluids, there is no acceleration, meaning the forces within the fluid balance out. Only vertical forces, caused by the weight of the fluid above, contribute to pressure changes with depth.
When measuring pressure at two different levels within the fluid, the difference in...
When measuring pressure at two different levels within the fluid, the difference in...
857