Cited by 36Spaceflight effects on biologyFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesVestibular and auditory disorders

Brain connectivity and behavioral changes in a spaceflight analog environment with elevated CO2

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McGregor, Heather R., Lee, Jessica K., Mulder, Edwin R., De Dios, Yiri E., Beltran, Nichole E., Kofman, Igor S., Bloomberg, Jacob J., Mulavara, Ajitkumar P. +1 more·2021·NeuroImage

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

ABSTRACT Astronauts are exposed to microgravity and elevated CO 2 levels onboard the International Space Station. Little is known about how microgravity and elevated CO 2 combine to affect the brain and sensorimotor performance during and after spaceflight. Here we examined changes in resting-state functional connectivity (FC) and sensorimotor behavior associated with a spaceflight analog environment. Participants underwent 30 days of strict 6 ° head-down tilt bed rest with elevated ambient CO 2 (HDBR+CO 2 ). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and sensorimotor assessments were collected 13 and 7 days prior to bed rest, on days 7 and 29 of bed rest, and 0, 5, 12, and 13 days following bed rest. We assessed the time course of FC changes from before, during, to after HDBR+CO 2 . We then compared the observed connectivity changes with those of a HDBR control group, which underwent HDBR in standard ambient air. Moreover, we assessed associations between post-HDBR+CO 2 FC changes and alterations in sensorimotor performance. HDBR+CO 2 was associated with significant changes in functional connectivity between vestibular, visual, somatosensory and motor brain areas. Several of these sensory and motor regions showed post-HDBR+CO 2 FC changes that were significantly associated with alterations in sensorimotor performance. We propose that these FC changes reflect multisensory reweighting associated with adaptation to the HDBR+CO 2 microgravity analog environment. This knowledge will further improve HDBR as a model of microgravity exposure and contribute to our knowledge of brain and performance changes during and after spaceflight.

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  • Elevated carbon dioxide levels have been associated with changes in brain connectivity, sensorimotor performance, and behavior among other physiological effects.

    “For the crew members, elevated carbon dioxide levels have been associated with changes in brain connectivity, sensorimotor performance, and behavior among other physiological effects [98].”

    From Biologically-Based and Physiochemical Life Support and In Situ Resource Utilization for Exploration of the Solar System—Reviewing the Current State and Defining Future Development Needs (2021) · cites this paper as [98]

    The Results and Discussion report changes in functional connectivity and behavioral performance during head-down tilt bed rest with elevated CO2, including changes in visual-orientation consistency and mobility. But the study involved analog participants, not crew members, and the Discussion says it cannot determine whether the brain changes were due to elevated CO2 alone. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
McGregor, H. R., Lee, J. K., Mulder, E. R., De Dios, Y. E., Beltran, N. E., Kofman, I. S., Bloomberg, J. J., Mulavara, A. P., & Seidler, R. D.
Affiliations
  • University of Florida (US)
  • Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE)
  • KBR (United States) (US)
  • Johnson Space Center (US)
Corresponding author
Seidler, Rachael D.
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-01
Volume
225
Pages
117450
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3092959181
Cited by
36
References
73
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 6
FWCI
3.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC17K0021)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Spaceflight effects on biology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vestibular and auditory disorders
Keywords
microgravity, elevated CO2, head-down bed rest, resting-state functional connectivity, sensorimotor performance, vestibular system, somatosensory system, visual system, motor system, spaceflight analog, International Space Station, post-flight recovery
MeSH terms
Adult, Bed Rest, Brain, Carbon Dioxide, Female, Humans, Hypercapnia, Locomotion, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neural Pathways, Proprioception, Space Flight, Weightlessness Simulation, Head-Down Tilt, Functional Neuroimaging

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