Effects of Microgravity on Human Physiology

Abstract

The effects of microgravity conditions on neurovestibular, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, bone metabolic, and hemato-immunological systems are described. We discuss “space motion sickness,” sensorimotor coordination disor-ders, cardiovascular deconditioning, muscular atrophy, bone loss, and anemia/ immunodeficiency, including their causes and mechanisms. In addition to the previously described deconditioning, new problems related to microgravity, spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), and structural changes of the brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are also explained. Our proposed countermeasure, artificial gravity produced by a short-arm centrifuge with ergometric exercise, is also described in detail, and we confirmed this system to be effective in preventing the abovementioned deconditioning caused by microgravity exposure.