Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Neuromuscular activation patterns during treadmill walking after space flight

C S Layne1, P V McDonald, J J Bloomberg

  • 1Movement and Coordination Laboratory, KRUG Life Sciences, Houston, TX 77058-2769, USA. layne@sdmail.jsc.nasa.gov

Experimental Brain Research
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Sensory network segregation as a predictor of post spaceflight balance impairments and sensory re-weighting.

NPJ microgravity·2025
Same author

The microgravity environment affects sensorimotor adaptation and its neural correlates.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2025
Same author

Daily artificial gravity partially mitigates vestibular processing changes associated with head-down tilt bedrest.

NPJ microgravity·2024
Same author

Brain and Behavioral Evidence for Reweighting of Vestibular Inputs with Long-Duration Spaceflight.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2021
Same author

Reply.

AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology·2020
Same author

<i>Reply</i>.

AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology·2020

Astronauts exhibit altered neuromuscular control after spaceflight, impacting walking. Subtle changes in lower-limb activation may cause instability and visual disturbances upon return to Earth.

Area of Science:

  • Spaceflight physiology
  • Human locomotion
  • Neuromuscular adaptation

Background:

  • Astronauts develop unique locomotion strategies in microgravity.
  • These strategies are suboptimal for Earth's gravity upon return.
  • Postflight neuromuscular adaptations require systematic investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically investigate neuromuscular activity patterns during postflight locomotion.
  • To identify changes in lower limb muscle activation after spaceflight.
  • To correlate these changes with postflight locomotion challenges.

Main Methods:

  • Astronauts walked on a treadmill at 6.4 km/h postflight (8-15 days).
  • Surface electromyography (sEMG) of lower limb muscles was recorded.
Keywords:
NASA Center JSCNASA Discipline Neuroscience

Related Experiment Videos

  • sEMG data was normalized for amplitude and timing relative to heel strike.

    • Main Results:

    • High correlations (r > 0.80) existed between preflight and postflight muscle activation waveforms.
    • Relative activation amplitudes at heel strike and toe-off were altered.
    • Muscle cocontraction, activation variability, and ankle muscle phasing changed.
    • Subjects reported oscillopsia (visual instability) during postflight treadmill walking.

    Conclusions:

    • The sensory-motor system adapts to allow treadmill walking postflight.
    • Subtle alterations in lower-limb neuromuscular activation persist.
    • These changes may contribute to increased kinematic variability and oscillopsia after spaceflight.