NASA & BED REST STUDIES
As space research advances in rapid leaps and bounds towards recreational travel and tourism, the need to investigate the impact of spaceflight on the human central nervous system and behavior only increases. One arm of ongoing work in the Neuromotor and Behavior Lab focuses on exploring how spaceflight and spaceflight analogs affect the human brain, cognition, and performance through brain imaging, adaptation research and bed rest studies.
Although the infinite mystery of space presents a fascinating topic of study, the methods of investigation at first glance may present some questions about how to accomplish such an endeavor. However, there are ways to study space right here on Earth. Head down tilt bed rest (HDBR) is a popular spaceflight analog used to mimic the physiological changes that accompany spaceflight and something that we investigate in our lab. Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the body experiences several physiological stressors such as microgravity, upward fluid shifts in the head and body, and elevated CO₂ levels. In the recent “VaPER” bed rest campaign, we investigated how these conditions affect brain structure, brain function, and performance while participants underwent 30 days of HDBR in elevated CO₂ levels.
Our most recent “AGBRESA” analog study is the first joint bed rest study by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. We, and several other teams around the world, are investigating if providing artificial gravity during HDBR can prevent the negative effects of weightlessness on the body. During bed rest, participants spun using a short-arm human centrifuge to restore gravity.
In addition to these physiological challenges and adjustment, it isn’t difficult to imagine a situation in which an astronaut needs to be quick on their feet after landing. Upon returning to Earth, astronauts’ locomotor control and balance can take days to weeks to readapt to Earth’s gravity. In an ongoing study, we are exploring the effects of simulated Mars gravity on balance and locomotor control. Our study uses a body weight support system to simulate reduced gravity while gathering data about how behavior changes and adapts over time in simulated Martian gravity, and upon returning to Earth’s 1 g. This research strives to enhance our understanding of these changes in efforts to mitigate the physiological effects of space travel and facilitate the adaptation process while undergoing gravitational shifts.
These are just some of the research and interventions that we explore here in the Neuromotor and Behavior Lab at the University of Florida. You can check out our recent publications section to learn more about outcomes and further directions of human performance in space!
Although the infinite mystery of space presents a fascinating topic of study, the methods of investigation at first glance may present some questions about how to accomplish such an endeavor. However, there are ways to study space right here on Earth. Head down tilt bed rest (HDBR) is a popular spaceflight analog used to mimic the physiological changes that accompany spaceflight and something that we investigate in our lab. Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the body experiences several physiological stressors such as microgravity, upward fluid shifts in the head and body, and elevated CO₂ levels. In the recent “VaPER” bed rest campaign, we investigated how these conditions affect brain structure, brain function, and performance while participants underwent 30 days of HDBR in elevated CO₂ levels.
Our most recent “AGBRESA” analog study is the first joint bed rest study by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. We, and several other teams around the world, are investigating if providing artificial gravity during HDBR can prevent the negative effects of weightlessness on the body. During bed rest, participants spun using a short-arm human centrifuge to restore gravity.
In addition to these physiological challenges and adjustment, it isn’t difficult to imagine a situation in which an astronaut needs to be quick on their feet after landing. Upon returning to Earth, astronauts’ locomotor control and balance can take days to weeks to readapt to Earth’s gravity. In an ongoing study, we are exploring the effects of simulated Mars gravity on balance and locomotor control. Our study uses a body weight support system to simulate reduced gravity while gathering data about how behavior changes and adapts over time in simulated Martian gravity, and upon returning to Earth’s 1 g. This research strives to enhance our understanding of these changes in efforts to mitigate the physiological effects of space travel and facilitate the adaptation process while undergoing gravitational shifts.
These are just some of the research and interventions that we explore here in the Neuromotor and Behavior Lab at the University of Florida. You can check out our recent publications section to learn more about outcomes and further directions of human performance in space!