Journal
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 122, Issue 6, Pages 1398-1405Publisher
AMER PHYSIOLOGICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00885.2016
Keywords
microgravity; visual impairment; analog; intracranial pressure; space-flight
Categories
Funding
- National Space Biomedical Research Institute [NASA NCC 9-58]
- Baylor College of Medicine Center for Space Medicine
- German Aerospace Center Institute of Aerospace Medicine
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Exposure to the microgravity environment results in various adaptive and maladaptive physiological changes in the human body, with notable ophthalmic abnormalities developing during 6-mo missions on the International Space Station (ISS). These findings have led to the hypothesis that the loss of gravity induces a cephalad fluid shift, decreased cerebral venous outflow, and increased intracranial pressure, which may be further exacerbated by increased ambient carbon dioxide (CO2) levels on the ISS. Here we describe the SPACECOT study (studying the physiological and anatomical cerebral effects of CO2 during head-down tilt), a randomized, double-blind crossover design study with two conditions: 29 h of 12 degrees head-down tilt (HDT) with ambient air and 29 h of 12 degrees HDT with 0.5% CO2. The internationally collaborative SPACECOT study utilized an innovative approach to study the effects of headward fluid shifting induced by 12 degrees HDT and increased ambient CO2 as well as their interaction with a focus on cerebral and ocular anatomy and physiology. Here we provide an in-depth overview of this new approach including the subjects, study design, and implementation, as well as the standardization plan for nutritional intake, environmental parameters, and bed rest procedures. NEW & NOTEWORTHY A new approach for investigating the combined effects of cephalad fluid shifting and increased ambient carbon dioxide (CO2) is presented. This may be useful for studying the neuroophthalmic and cerebral effects of spaceflight where cephalad fluid shifts occur in an elevated CO2 environment.
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