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Dynamic Changes in Hindlimb Motor Cortex Neurons during Simulated Weightlessness Revealed by Miniature 2-Photon
Yuanyuan Fan1,2,3, Jianwei Li1, Jiaying Han4,5
1National Key Laboratory of Space Medicine, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, China.
Research (Washington, D.C.)
|September 22, 2025
Summary
Simulated weightlessness impairs motor behavior and alters hindlimb motor cortex neuron activity. These effects reverse after recovery, offering insights into spaceflight-induced motor changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Spaceflight Physiology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Spaceflight causes motor behavior dysfunction due to altered neuronal activity.
- Longitudinal changes in the motor cortex from simulated weightlessness are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dynamic neuronal activity shifts in the hindlimb motor cortex during simulated weightlessness and recovery.
- To analyze single-cell functional changes in motor neurons under altered gravity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a miniaturized 2-photon microscope for in vivo imaging.
- Assessed motor behavior using open-field and rotarod tasks.
- Performed single-cell analysis of hindlimb motor cortex neuronal activity.
Main Results:
- Simulated weightlessness progressively declined motor behavior, fully reversing after 2 weeks.
- Locomotion-activated neuron activity increased, while inhibited neuron activity decreased during open-field tests.
- Rotarod performance showed decreased activated neurons and increased inhibited neurons, with altered activity levels, all largely restored after reloading.
Conclusions:
- Simulated weightlessness induces heterogeneous neuronal activity changes in the hindlimb motor cortex.
- These findings provide insights into motor cortex regulation of behavioral changes during spaceflight and recovery.
