Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2025
07:05
A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training
Published on: August 24, 2017
11.1K
Neuroplasticity in F16 fighter jet pilots
Wilhelmina E Radstake1, Steven Jillings2, Steven Laureys3
1Radiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK CEN, Mol, Belgium.
Frontiers in Physiology
|March 6, 2023
Summary
Fighter pilots exhibit altered brain functional connectivity, suggesting neuroplasticity in response to high g-forces. These changes in sensorimotor and cognitive processing may represent adaptive strategies for flight demands.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Aerospace Medicine
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Exposure to altered gravitational (g) levels imposes unique sensorimotor challenges on the brain.
- Fighter pilots experience frequent g-level transitions and sustained high g-loads during operations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neuroplasticity in fighter pilots by examining functional brain connectivity (FC).
- To assess differences in FC between pilots and matched controls, correlating FC with flight experience.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to acquire brain data.
- Whole-brain exploratory and region-of-interest (ROI) analyses were conducted, focusing on the right parietal operculum 2 (OP2) and right angular gyrus (AG).
Main Results:
- Positive correlations between flight experience and FC were found in frontal and temporal regions.
- Negative correlations were observed in primary sensorimotor areas.
- Pilots showed decreased FC in the left inferior frontal gyrus and increased FC between the right OP2 and left visual cortex, and within the angular gyri compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Fighter pilot brains display altered functional connectivity, indicative of neuroplasticity and adaptation to sensorimotor demands.
- Changes suggest modified motor, vestibular, and multisensory processing, alongside adaptive cognitive strategies.
- Findings offer insights into brain adaptations relevant to both aviation and space travel.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Neuroplasticity
641
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
641
00:58Plasticity
2.5K
Plasticity is the property where an object loses its elasticity and undergoes irreversible deformation, even after the deformation forces are eliminated. If a material deforms irreversibly without increasing stress or load, then this is called ideal plasticity. For example, when a force is applied to an aluminum rod, it changes its shape, but it does not return to its original shape once the force is removed. Plastic deformation or ductility is thus a permanent deformation or change in the...
2.5K
01:15Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue
916
In the CNS, neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons from stem cells, is limited to the hippocampus in adults. In other regions of the brain and spinal cord, neurogenesis is almost non-existent due to inhibitory influences from neuroglia, especially oligodendrocytes, and the absence of growth-stimulating cues. The myelin produced by oligodendrocytes in the CNS inhibits neuronal regeneration. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferate rapidly after neuronal damage, forming scar tissue that physically...
916
01:14Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
527
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the...
527