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Related Concept Videos

The Vestibular System01:29

The Vestibular System

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.
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Indirect Motor Pathways01:22

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
Somatic Spinal Reflexes01:22

Somatic Spinal Reflexes

Somatic spinal reflexes are rapid, involuntary muscular responses to external stimuli that involve the somatic musculature and the spinal cord.
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Three Dimensional Vestibular Ocular Reflex Testing Using a Six Degrees of Freedom Motion Platform
10:12

Three Dimensional Vestibular Ocular Reflex Testing Using a Six Degrees of Freedom Motion Platform

Published on: May 23, 2013

Vestibulo-spinal response modification as determined with the H-reflex during the Spacelab-1 flight.

M F Reschke, D J Anderson, J L Homick

    Experimental Brain Research
    |January 1, 1986
    PubMed
    Summary

    Spaceflight alters the body's balance system. The H-reflex, a measure of nerve function, showed changes after microgravity exposure, correlating with space motion sickness. This suggests central nervous system adaptation to altered gravity.

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    Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction
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    A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance
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    A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance

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    Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

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    Published on: May 23, 2013

    Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction
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    A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance
    07:19

    A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance

    Published on: March 19, 2020

    Area of Science:

    • Neuroscience
    • Space Physiology
    • Human Factors Engineering

    Background:

    • Prolonged microgravity exposure significantly impacts human sensorimotor systems.
    • Understanding vestibular and postural adaptations is crucial for astronaut health and mission success.
    • The H-reflex offers a quantifiable measure of spinal cord excitability and reflex pathways.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To assess modifications in utriculo-saccular function using the H-reflex during microgravity exposure.
    • To investigate the hypothesis that postural adjustments during spaceflight are centrally mediated.
    • To correlate H-reflex changes and self-motion perception with space motion sickness.

    Main Methods:

    • Utilized the H-reflex from the soleus muscle for monosynaptic reflex testing.
    • Employed vertical linear acceleration (sudden earth-vertical fall) to probe vestibulo-spinal reflexes.
    • Recorded vestibulo-spinal EMG from the gastrocnemius and self-motion reports inflight and postflight.
    • Administered preflight, inflight, and postflight motion sickness questionnaires.

    Main Results:

    • Inflight H-reflex amplitude remained similar to preflight levels initially, with no potentiation changes later in the flight.
    • Immediate postflight H-reflex showed a rebound effect in most astronauts.
    • Postflight gastrocnemius EMG did not significantly change, though one astronaut showed increased activity.
    • Self-motion perception shifted from feeling like falling to the floor rising to meet them.

    Conclusions:

    • Microgravity exposure induces central sensory motor rearrangements rather than peripheral vestibular changes.
    • H-reflex amplitude, both preflight and postflight, correlated with inflight space motion sickness.
    • Adaptations in the vestibulo-spinal system occur, influencing postural control and motion perception in space.