Rohdin, Malin, Patrik Sundblad, and Dag Linnarsson. Effects of hypergravity on the distributions of lung ventilation and perfusion in sitting humans assessed with a simple two-step maneuver. J Appl Physiol 96: 1470–1477, 2004. First published December 12, 2003; 10.1152/japplphysiol.00627.2003.—Increased gravity impairs pulmonary distributions of ventilation and perfusion. We sought to develop a...

As space flight become more accessible in the future, humans will be exposed to gravity conditions other than our 1G environment on Earth. Changes in physiology and anatomy in altered gravity conditions have long been observed, especially the loss of muscle mass during long-term space habitation, the reason for which is not fully understood. Although much effort has gone into studying the effec...

This chapter reviews the knowledge about the adaptation to Earth gravity during the development of mammals. The impact of early exposure to altered gravity is evaluated at the level of the functions related to the vestibular system, including postural control, homeostatic regulation, and spatial memory. The hypothesis of critical periods in the adaptation to gravity is discussed. Demonstrating ...

Behavioural responses to different accelerations below 1 g and up to 5 g were investigated in Paramecium biaurelia by using a centrifuge microscope on Earth and in space during a recent space flight. Increased stimulation (hypergravity) enhanced the negative gravitactic and the gravikinetic responses in Paramecium biaurelia within seconds. Cells did not adapt to altered gravitational conditions...

Thromb Haemost 2009; 101: 799 Cosmonauts flying to the International Space Station with the Sojuz rocket or taikonauts in their space capsule have to sit in their chair inside the narrow space capsule for up to two days. Thus, they seem to be susceptible to the risk of venous thrombosis and thromboembolism like anybody sitting with knees bent for an extended period of time, e.g. during air trav...

The vestibular organs consist of complementary sensors: the semicircular canals detect rotations while the otoliths detect linear accelerations, including the constant pull of gravity. Several fundamental questions remain on how the vestibular system would develop and/or adapt to prolonged changes in gravity such as during long-term space journey. How do vestibular reflexes develop if the appro...

We examined changes in cerebral circulation in 15 healthy men during exposure to mild +Gz hypergravity (1.5 Gz, head-to-foot) using a short-arm centrifuge. Continuous arterial pressure waveform (tonometry), cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity in the middle cerebral artery (transcranial Doppler ultrasonography), and partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETco(2)) were measured in the sitti...