Neuroplasticity in F16 fighter jet pilots.
MRI
brain
fighter pilots
gravity transitions
neuroplasticity
resting state fMRI
Journal
Frontiers in physiology
ISSN: 1664-042X
Titre abrégé: Front Physiol
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 101549006
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2023
2023
Historique:
received:
27
10
2022
accepted:
09
01
2023
entrez:
6
3
2023
pubmed:
7
3
2023
medline:
7
3
2023
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Exposure to altered g-levels causes unusual sensorimotor demands that must be dealt with by the brain. This study aimed to investigate whether fighter pilots, who are exposed to frequent g-level transitions and high g-levels, show differential functional characteristics compared to matched controls, indicative of neuroplasticity. We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data to assess brain functional connectivity (FC) changes with increasing flight experience in pilots and to assess differences in FC between pilots and controls. We performed whole-brain exploratory and region-of-interest (ROI) analyses, with the right parietal operculum 2 (OP2) and the right angular gyrus (AG) as ROIs. Our results show positive correlations with flight experience in the left inferior and right middle frontal gyri, and in the right temporal pole. Negative correlations were observed in primary sensorimotor regions. We found decreased whole-brain functional connectivity of the left inferior frontal gyrus in fighter pilots compared to controls and this cluster showed decreased functional connectivity with the medial superior frontal gyrus. Functional connectivity increased between the right parietal operculum 2 and the left visual cortex, and between the right and left angular gyrus in pilots compared to controls. These findings suggest altered motor, vestibular, and multisensory processing in the brains of fighter pilots, possibly reflecting coping strategies to altered sensorimotor demands during flight. Altered functional connectivity in frontal areas may reflect adaptive cognitive strategies to cope with challenging conditions during flight. These findings provide novel insights into brain functional characteristics of fighter pilots, which may be of interest to humans traveling to space.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36875024
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1082166
pii: 1082166
pmc: PMC9974643
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
1082166Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 Radstake, Jillings, Laureys, Demertzi, Sunaert, Van Ombergen and Wuyts.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Références
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Dec 11;104(50):20137-41
pubmed: 18056637
Cereb Cortex. 2022 Feb 8;32(4):755-769
pubmed: 34416764
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2011 Jul;82(7):717-24
pubmed: 21748911
Neuroimage. 2012 Mar;60(1):162-9
pubmed: 22209784
Cereb Cortex. 2002 May;12(5):477-85
pubmed: 11950765
Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 12;7(1):3061
pubmed: 28607373
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2010 May;81(5):484-8
pubmed: 20464815
Aging (Albany NY). 2017 Mar 9;9(3):741-752
pubmed: 28278492
Neuroimage Clin. 2017 Feb 28;14:538-545
pubmed: 28331800
NPJ Microgravity. 2022 Jul 20;8(1):27
pubmed: 35858981
Science. 2004 Oct 15;306(5695):443-7
pubmed: 15486290
Brain Res Bull. 1998 Nov 15;47(5):475-80
pubmed: 10052577
Cereb Cortex. 2009 Apr;19(4):832-8
pubmed: 18678765
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2007 Nov;78(11):1072-4
pubmed: 18018442
Trends Cogn Sci. 2004 Sep;8(9):410-7
pubmed: 15350242
Turk Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Jun;59(2):139-149
pubmed: 34386801
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2003 Jun;74(6 Pt 1):633-7
pubmed: 12793534
Front Physiol. 2019 Jul 04;10:761
pubmed: 31333476
Neuroimage. 2007 Aug 1;37(1):90-101
pubmed: 17560126
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2011 May;82(5):523-30
pubmed: 21614866
Fiziol Cheloveka. 2003 Sep-Oct;29(5):17-28
pubmed: 14611080
PM R. 2010 Dec;2(12 Suppl 2):S227-40
pubmed: 21172685
J Cogn Neurosci. 2010 Mar;22(3):543-53
pubmed: 19301995
Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 1998 Nov;28(1-2):102-17
pubmed: 9795167
Neuroimage. 2003 Feb;18(2):483-93
pubmed: 12595201
Neuroimage. 2011 Oct 15;58(4):1044-50
pubmed: 21763437
J Neurosci. 2010 Dec 15;30(50):17063-7
pubmed: 21159976
Cortex. 2010 Feb;46(2):161-9
pubmed: 18691703
Neuropsychologia. 2011 Jan;49(1):29-33
pubmed: 21035475
Eur J Neurosci. 2007 Feb;25(3):881-9
pubmed: 17298597
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2012 May;83(5):496-503
pubmed: 22606866
J Neurophysiol. 2008 Dec;100(6):3328-42
pubmed: 18799601
Neuropsychologia. 1971 Mar;9(1):97-113
pubmed: 5146491
Science. 1984 Jul 13;225(4658):205-8
pubmed: 6610215
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Jun 23;95(13):7721-6
pubmed: 9636217
Brain. 2007 Jul;130(Pt 7):1718-31
pubmed: 17392317
J Cogn Neurosci. 2018 Mar;30(3):411-420
pubmed: 29211650
Cereb Cortex. 2022 Jun 16;:
pubmed: 35704860
Aviat Space Environ Med. 2010 Apr;81(4):394-8
pubmed: 20377143