Artificial gravity : adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex to head movements during short-radius centrifugation

Short-radius centrifugation is currently being pursued as a potential countermeasure to long duration space flight. Short-radius centrifugation requires relatively high angular velocities (on the order of 30 rpm) to create centripetal accelerations on the order of 1 g. Unfortunately, out-of-plane head movements during centrifugation induce inappropriate vestibulo-ocular reflexes, debilitating motion sickness symptoms, and illusory tilt sensations due to conflicting visual and vestibular signals. Practical use of an intermittent short-radius centrifuge as a countermeasure requires that crew members be capable of rapidly adapting to the unexpected semicircular canal inputs with minimal side- or post-effects. Furthermore, adaptation not only has to be achieved, it also has to be appropriate for the environment (stationary, rotating, 1 g, or 0 g). The purpose of this research was to investigate humans' ability to attain and maintain adaptation to rotating environments. Subjects participated in a series of pre-/per-/and post-rotation data collection sessions consisting of both eye reflex recordings during head movements, a subjective battery of tests, and autonomic measurements. Eight subjects were tested on three days (D=1, 2, 8). Eye movements were measured in response to out-of-plane head movements during rotation at 23 rpm on-board the MIT short-radius centrifuge (r=2 m). Slow phase eye velocity (SPV) was reconstructed from filtered and de-saccaded eye movement data. The significant main effect of day and pre-/post-adaptation phase demonstrated that normalized SPV decreased following adaptation in the light.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2000

Author dc:creator

• Sienko, Kathleen Helen, 1976-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Laurence R. Young.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://theses.mit.edu/Dienst/UI/2.0/Describe/0018.mit.theses%2f2000-68
• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Identifier URI

http://theses.mit.edu/Dienst/UI/2.0/Describe/0018.mit.theses%2f2000-68

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/9237