Artificial gravity during a spaceflight analog alters brain sensory connectivity.
Artificial gravity
Balance
Bed rest
Body loading
Countermeasure
Mobility
Proprioception
Somatosensory
Spaceflight
Support afference
Journal
NeuroImage
ISSN: 1095-9572
Titre abrégé: Neuroimage
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 9215515
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
09 2023
09 2023
Historique:
received:
14
11
2022
revised:
06
05
2023
accepted:
29
06
2023
medline:
14
8
2023
pubmed:
9
7
2023
entrez:
8
7
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Spaceflight has numerous untoward effects on human physiology. Various countermeasures are under investigation including artificial gravity (AG). Here, we investigated whether AG alters resting-state brain functional connectivity changes during head-down tilt bed rest (HDBR), a spaceflight analog. Participants underwent 60 days of HDBR. Two groups received daily AG administered either continuously (cAG) or intermittently (iAG). A control group received no AG. We assessed resting-state functional connectivity before, during, and after HDBR. We also measured balance and mobility changes from pre- to post-HDBR. We examined how functional connectivity changes throughout HDBR and whether AG is associated with differential effects. We found differential connectivity changes by group between posterior parietal cortex and multiple somatosensory regions. The control group exhibited increased functional connectivity between these regions throughout HDBR whereas the cAG group showed decreased functional connectivity. This finding suggests that AG alters somatosensory reweighting during HDBR. We also observed brain-behavioral correlations that differed significantly by group. Control group participants who showed increased connectivity between the putamen and somatosensory cortex exhibited greater mobility declines post-HDBR. For the cAG group, increased connectivity between these regions was associated with little to no mobility declines post-HDBR. This suggests that when somatosensory stimulation is provided via AG, functional connectivity increases between the putamen and somatosensory cortex are compensatory in nature, resulting in reduced mobility declines. Given these findings, AG may be an effective countermeasure for the reduced somatosensory stimulation that occurs in both microgravity and HDBR.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37422277
pii: S1053-8119(23)00412-3
doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120261
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
120261Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of Competing Interest None.