Artificial Gravity During Bed Rest Deconditioning: A Case Report
- Paper number
IAC-06-A1.3.05
- Author
Mr. William H. Paloski, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Laurence R. Young, Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT), United States
- Year
2006
- Abstract
Artificial gravity paradigms may offer effective, efficient, multi-system protection from the untoward effects of adaptation to the microgravity of space or the hypogravity of planetary surfaces. The questions of whether and how intermittent artificial gravity (AG) produced by a short-radius centrifuge (SRC) could be used in this context have recently sprung to the forefront of operational research, and a multi-center international project was formed to begin systematically exploring the efficacy of intermittent AG as a multi-system countermeasure in ground based venues using human test subjects deconditioned by bed rest. A standardized protocol has been developed for use by all centers; it includes subject selection criteria, medical monitoring requirements, medical care procedures, experiment control procedures, and standardized dependent measures. Testing of this protocol has recently begun at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, TX, USA. This presentation will review the results of the first test subject to participate in the protocol testing. The 27 year-old male successfully passed medical and physiological screening tests, and was admitted into the UTMB bed rest facility in late January, 2006. During the first eleven days in the bed rest facility, the subject remained ambulatory, but was confined to the facility, began a carefully controlled diet, and participated in multiple baseline tests of bone, muscle, cardiovascular, sensory-motor, immunological, and psychological function. On the twelfth day the subject entered the bed rest phase of the study, during which he was confined to strict 6ø head down tilt bed rest for 21 days. Beginning 24 hrs into this period, the subject received one hour daily exposures to an artificial gravity paradigm: Artificial gravity was produced by spinning the subject on a 3.0 m radius SRC. He was oriented radially in the supine position so that the centrifugal force was aligned with his long body axis, and while spinning, he “stood” on a force plate, supporting the centrifugal loading (2.5 g at the feet, 1.0 g at the heart). The subject station allowed free translation over approximately 10 cm to ensure full loading of the lower extremities and to allow for anti-orthostatic muscle contractions. Following the bed rest phase, he was allowed to ambulate again, but remained within the bed rest facility for an additional 9 days and participated in multiple follow-up tests of physiological function.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-A1.3.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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