Effects of Microgravity on Cerebral Hemodynamics

After centuries of wonder, human being finally realized the decisive possibility of going to the moon a little more than 50 years ago, and in 1969 this became a reality, no longer a dream. The human body, however, is designed to live under 1 g as on Earth. Thus, it is important to understand what happens in the human body under microgravity in order to make rapid progress in space development. One of the most serious problems produced by microgravity is a fluid shift from lower to upper body. This cephalad fluid shift may change the hemodynamics in the brain. In this review, effects of actual or simulated microgravity on cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure, formation of brain edema, and orthostatic intolerance will be discussed. These studies provide us lots of information not only to maintain the health of astronauts but also to treat senile persons who, on rare occasions, sit or stand up.