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Biomedical subjects

W H Paloski

Publications and source records attributed to W H Paloski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Smooth pursuit deficits in space flights of variable length.

The maintenance of stable vision is a primary function of the neurovestibular and sensory-motor systems. There is, however, strong evidence suggesting that space flight results in a modification of the central nervous system and subsequent control of ocular-motor responses. These changes effect those neural mechanisms which are responsible for holding images steady on the retina during brief, self-initiated, head rotations or during the voluntary pursuit of moving targets. Recent studies have shown significant saccadic intrusions in both of these experimental paradigms, including an inability to null the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) during the head/eye pursuit task. The maintenance of vision, while not entirely stable, both inflight and immediately postflight is now believed to be due to neural strategies that evolve for the purpose of assisting in directing the moving target onto the retina.

NASA Center JSC↗
PubMed2001

Spatial orientation and balance control changes induced by altered gravitoinertial force vectors.

To better understand the mechanisms of human adaptation to rotating environments, we exposed 19 healthy subjects and 8 vestibular-deficient subjects ("abnormal"; four bilateral and four unilateral lesions) to an interaural centripetal acceleration of 1 g (resultant 45 degrees roll-tilt of 1.4 g) on a 0.8-m-radius centrifuge for periods of 90 min. The subjects sat upright (body z-axis parallel to centrifuge rotation axis) in the dark with head stationary, except during 4 min of every 10 min, when they performed head saccades toward visual targets switched on at 3- to 5-s intervals at random locations (within +/- 30 degrees) in the earth-horizontal plane. Eight of the normal subjects also performed the head saccade protocol in a stationary chair adjusted to a static roll-tilt angle of 45 degrees for 90 min (reproducing the change in orientation but not the magnitude of the gravitoinertial force on the centrifuge). Eye movements, including voluntary saccades directed along perceived earth- and head-referenced planes, were recorded before, during, and immediately after centrifugation. Postural center of pressure (COP) and multisegment body kinematics were also gathered before and within 10 min after centrifugation. Normal subjects overestimated roll-tilt during centrifugation and revealed errors in perception of head-vertical provided by directed saccades. Errors in this perceptual response tended to increase with time and became significant after approximately 30 min. Motion-sickness symptoms caused approximately 25% of normal subjects to limit their head movements during centrifugation and led three normal subjects to stop the test early. Immediately after centrifugation, subjects reported feeling tilted 10 degrees in the opposite direction, which was in agreement with the direction of their earth-referenced directed saccades. Postural COP, segmental body motion amplitude, and hip-sway frequency increased significantly after centrifugation. These postural effects were short-lived, however, with a recovery time of several postural test trials (minutes). There were also asymmetries in the direction of postcentrifugation COP and head tilt which depended on the subject's orientation during the centrifugation adaptation period (left ear or right ear out). The amount of total head movements during centrifugation correlated poorly or inversely with postcentrifugation postural stability, and the most unstable subject made no head movements. There was no decrease in postural stability after static tilt, although these subjects also reported a perceived tilt briefly after return to upright, and they also had COP asymmetries. Abnormal subjects underestimated roll-tilt during centrifugation, and their directed saccades revealed permanent spatial distortions. Bilateral abnormal subjects started out with poor postural control, but showed no postural decrements after centrifugation, while unilateral abnormal subjects had varying degrees of postural decrement, both in their everyday function and as a result of experiencing the centrifugation. In addition, three unilateral, abnormal subjects, who rode twice in opposite orientations, revealed a consistent orthogonal pattern of COP offsets after centrifugation. These results suggest that both orientation and magnitude of the gravitoinertial vector are used by the central nervous system for calibration of multiple orientation systems. A change in the background gravitoinertial force (otolith input) can rapidly initiate postural and perceptual adaptation in several sensorimotor systems, independent of a structured visual surround.

Acceleration↗
PubMed2000

Transient cardio-respiratory responses to visually induced tilt illusions.

Although the orthostatic cardio-respiratory response is primarily mediated by the baroreflex, studies have shown that vestibular cues also contribute in both humans and animals. We have demonstrated a visually mediated response to illusory tilt in some human subjects. Blood pressure, heart and respiration rate, and lung volume were monitored in 16 supine human subjects during two types of visual stimulation, and compared with responses to real passive whole body tilt from supine to head 80 degrees upright. Visual tilt stimuli consisted of either a static scene from an overhead mirror or constant velocity scene motion along different body axes generated by an ultra-wide dome projection system. Visual vertical cues were initially aligned with the longitudinal body axis. Subjective tilt and self-motion were reported verbally. Although significant changes in cardio-respiratory parameters to illusory tilts could not be demonstrated for the entire group, several subjects showed significant transient decreases in mean blood pressure resembling their initial response to passive head-up tilt. Changes in pulse pressure and a slight elevation in heart rate were noted. These transient responses are consistent with the hypothesis that visual-vestibular input contributes to the initial cardiovascular adjustment to a change in posture in humans. On average the static scene elicited perceived tilt without rotation. Dome scene pitch and yaw elicited perceived tilt and rotation, and dome roll motion elicited perceived rotation without tilt. A significant correlation between the magnitude of physiological and subjective reports could not be demonstrated.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Disruption of postural readaptation by inertial stimuli following space flight.

Postural instability (relative to pre-flight) has been observed in all shuttle astronauts studied upon return from orbital missions. Postural stability was more closely examined in four shuttle astronaut subjects before and after an 8 day orbital mission. Results of the pre- and post-flight postural stability studies were compared with a larger (n = 34) study of astronauts returning from shuttle missions of similar duration. Results from both studies indicated that inadequate vestibular feedback was the most significant sensory deficit contributing to the postural instability observed post flight. For two of the four IML-1 astronauts, post-flight postural instability and rate of recovery toward their earth-normal performance matched the performance of the larger sample. However, post-flight postural control in one returning astronaut was substantially below mean performance. This individual, who was within normal limits with respect to postural control before the mission, indicated that recovery to pre-flight postural stability was also interrupted by a post-flight pitch plane rotation test. A similar, though less extreme departure from the mean recovery trajectory was present in another astronaut following the same post-flight rotation test. The pitch plane rotation stimuli included otolith stimuli in the form of both transient tangential and constant centripetal linear acceleration components. We inferred from these findings that adaptation on orbit and re-adaptation on earth involved a change in sensorimotor integration of vestibular signals most likely from the otolith organs.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1998

Spatial coding of eye movements relative to perceived earth and head orientations during static roll tilt.

This purpose of this study was to examine the spatial coding of eye movements during static roll tilt (up to +/-45 degrees) relative to perceived earth and head orientations. Binocular videographic recordings obtained in darkness from eight subjects allowed us to quantify the mean deviations in gaze trajectories along both horizontal and vertical coordinates relative to the true earth and head orientations. We found that both variability and curvature of gaze trajectories increased with roll tilt. The trajectories of eye movements made along the perceived earth-horizontal (PEH) were more accurate than movements along the perceived head-horizontal (PHH). The trajectories of both PEH and PHH saccades tended to deviate in the same direction as the head tilt. The deviations in gaze trajectories along the perceived earth-vertical (PEV) and perceived head-vertical (PHV) were both similar to the PHH orientation, except that saccades along the PEV deviated in the opposite direction relative to the head tilt. The magnitude of deviations along the PEV, PHH, and PHV corresponded to perceptual overestimations of roll tilt obtained from verbal reports. Both PEV gaze trajectories and perceptual estimates of tilt orientation were different following clockwise rather than counterclockwise tilt rotation; however, the PEH gaze trajectories were less affected by the direction of tilt rotation. Our results suggest that errors in gaze trajectories along PEV and perceived head orientations increase during roll tilt in a similar way to perceptual errors of tilt orientation. Although PEH and PEV gaze trajectories became nonorthogonal during roll tilt, we conclude that the spatial coding of eye movements during roll tilt is overall more accurate for the perceived earth reference frame than for the perceived head reference frame.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Multivariate changes in coordination of postural control following spaceflight.

Postural and gait instabilities in astronauts returning from spaceflight are thought to result from in-flight adaptation of central nervous system processing of sensory inputs from the vestibular, proprioceptive, and visual systems. We hypothesized that reorganization of posture control relying on these multiple inputs would result in not only greater amounts of sway, but also changes in interjoint coordination. We tested this hypothesis by examining the multivariate characteristics of postural sway and comparing the postural control gain used for maintenance of upright stance during the altered sensory conditions of the Sensory Organization Test (EquiTest, Neurocom Intl.). We used the covariance of hip and ankle kinematics as a measure of joint motion and interjoint coordination, and then utilized discriminant analysis to further examine these characteristics in a group of 10 first-time astronauts. In five of the six conditions, the most important difference was an increased relative utilization of the hip strategy, which would not be evident using conventional balance measures such as peak or root-mean-square sway. This finding was supported by indications of increased hip torque gains relative to lower extremity and neck motion in at least four conditions (p < 0.05). In contrast, ankle torque gains to these motions did not appear to change. These results suggest that after spaceflight, astronauts exhibit significant multivariate changes in multijoint coordination, of which increased sway is only one component. These changes are consistent with reweighting of vestibular inputs and changes in control strategy in a multivariable control system.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Posture, locomotion, spatial orientation, and motion sickness as a function of space flight.

This article summarizes a variety of newly published findings obtained by the Neuroscience Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, and attempts to place this work within a historical framework of previous results on posture, locomotion, motion sickness, and perceptual responses that have been observed in conjunction with space flight. In this context, we have taken the view that correct transduction and integration of signals from all sensory systems is essential to maintaining stable vision, postural and locomotor control, and eye-hand coordination as components of spatial orientation. The plasticity of the human central nervous system allows individuals to adapt to altered stimulus conditions encountered in a microgravity environment. However, until some level of adaptation is achieved, astronauts and cosmonauts often experience space motion sickness, disturbances in motion control and eye-hand coordination, unstable vision, and illusory motion of the self, the visual scene, or both. Many of the same types of disturbances encountered in space flight reappear immediately after crew members return to earth. The magnitude of these neurosensory, sensory-motor and perceptual disturbances, and the time needed to recover from them, tend to vary as a function of mission duration and the space travelers prior experience with the stimulus rearrangement of space flight. To adequately chart the development of neurosensory changes associated with space flight, we recommend development of enhanced eye movement systems and body position measurement. We also advocate the use of a human small radius centrifuge as both a research tool and as a means of providing on-orbit countermeasures that will lessen the impact of living for long periods of time with out exposure to altering gravito-inertial forces.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

Vestibulospinal adaptation to microgravity.

Human balance control is known to be transiently disrupted after spaceflight; however, the mechanisms responsible for postflight postural ataxia are still under investigation. In this report, we propose a conceptual model of vestibulospinal adaptation based on theoretical adaptive control concepts and supported by the results from a comprehensive study of balance control recovery after spaceflight. The conceptual model predicts that immediately after spaceflight the balance control system of a returning astronaut does not expect to receive gravity-induced afferent inputs and that descending vestibulospinal control of balance is disrupted until the central nervous system is able to cope with the newly available vestibular otolith information. Predictions of the model are tested using data from a study of the neurosensory control of balance in astronauts immediately after landing. In that study, the mechanisms of sensorimotor balance control were assessed under normal, reduced, and/or altered (sway-referenced) visual and somatosensory input conditions. We conclude that the adaptive control model accurately describes the neurobehavioral responses to spaceflight and that similar models of altered sensory, motor, or environmental constraints are needed clinically to predict responses that patients with sensorimotor pathologies may have to various visual-vestibular or changing stimulus environments.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1998

Computerized dynamic posturography: What have we learned from space?

Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) has been under development since 1970. Several reviews summarize key basic and clinical research studies and outline important clinical uses of CDP along with research applications. This report summarizes new information about the otolith control of posture obtained from the study of astronauts. The dynamics of recovery of postural control upon return from orbital flight provide insight to the peripheral vestibular and central nervous system components of vestibular compensation. The dynamics of postural compensation should aid the clinician in the diagnosis and management of imbalance of vestibular origin.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1995

Vestibular plasticity following orbital spaceflight: recovery from postflight postural instability.

Results of previous studies suggested that the vestibular mediated postural instability observed in astronauts upon return to earth from orbital spaceflight may be exacerbated by an increased weighting of visual inputs for spatial orientation and control of movement. This study was performed to better understand the roles of visual and somatosensory contributions to recovery of normal sensori-motor postural control in returning astronauts. Preflight and postflight, 23 astronaut volunteers were presented randomly with three trials of six sensory organization test (SOT) conditions in the EquiTest system test battery. Sagittal plane center-of-gravity (COG) excursions computed from ground reaction forces were significantly higher on landing day than preflight for those test conditions presenting sway-referenced visual and/or somatosensory orientation cues. The ratio of summed peak-to-peak COG sway amplitudes on the two sway-referenced vision tests (SOTs 3 + 6) compared to the two eyes closed tests (SOTs 2 + 5) was increased on landing day, indicating an increased reliance on visual orientation cues for postural control. The ratio of peak-to-peak COG excursions on sway-referenced surfaces (SOTs 4, 5 & 6) to an earth fixed support surfaces (SOTs 1, 2 & 3) increased even more after landing suggesting primary reliance on somatosensory orientation cues for recovery of postflight postural stability. Readaptation to sway-referenced support surfaces took longer than readaptation to sway-referenced vision. The increased reliance on visual and somatosensory inputs disappeared in all astronauts 4-8 days following return to earth.

Astronauts↗
PubMed1994

Space flight and neurovestibular adaptation.

Space flight represents a form of sensory stimulus rearrangement requiring modification of established terrestrial response patterns through central reinterpretation. Evidence of sensory reinterpretation is manifested as postflight modifications of eye/head coordination, locomotor patterns, postural control strategies, and illusory perceptions of self or surround motion in conjunction with head movements. Under normal preflight conditions, the head is stabilized during locomotion, but immediately postflight reduced head stability, coupled with inappropriate eye/head coordination, results in modifications of gait. Postflight postural control exhibits increased dependence on vision which compensates for inappropriate interpretation of otolith and proprioceptive inputs. Eye movements compensatory for perceived self motion, rather than actual head movements have been observed postflight. Overall, the in-flight adaptive modification of head stabilization strategies, changes in head/eye coordination, illusionary motion, and postural control are maladaptive for a return to the terrestrial environment.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1993

Vestibular ataxia following shuttle flights: effects of microgravity on otolith-mediated sensorimotor control of posture.

Orbital spaceflight exposes astronauts to an environment in which gravity is reduced to negligible magnitudes of 10(-3) to 10(-6) G. Upon insertion into earth orbit, the abrupt loss of the constant linear acceleration provided by gravity removes the otolith stimulus for vestibular sensation of vertical orientation constantly present on Earth. Since the central nervous system (CNS) assesses spatial orientation by simultaneously interpreting sensory inputs from the vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive systems, loss of the otolith-mediated vertical reference input results in an incorrect estimation of spatial orientation, which, in turn, causes a degradation in movement control. Over time, however, the CNS adapts to the loss of gravitational signals. Upon return to Earth, the vertical reference provided by gravitational stimulation of the otolith organ reappears. As a result, a period of CNS readaptation must occur upon return to terrestrial environment. Among the physiological changes observed during the postflight CNS readaptation period is a disruption of postural equilibrium control. Using a dynamic posturography system (modified NeuroCom EquiTest), 16 astronauts were tested at 60, 30, and 10 days preflight and retested at 1 to 5 hours, and 8 days postflight. All astronauts tested demonstrated decreased postural stability immediately upon return to Earth. The most dramatic increases in postural sway occurred during those sensory conditions in which both the visual and proprioceptive feedback information used for postural control were altered by the dynamic posturography system, requiring reliance primarily upon vestibular function for control of upright stance. Less marked but statistically significant increases in sway were observed under those conditions in which visual and foot support surface inputs alone were altered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Recovery of postural equilibrium control following spaceflight.

Decreased postural stability is observed in most astronauts immediately following spaceflight. Because ataxia may present postflight operational hazards, it is important to determine the incidence of postural instability immediately following landing and the dynamics of recovery of normal postural equilibrium control. It is postulated that postflight postural instability results from in-flight adaptive changes in central nervous system (CNS) processing of sensory information from the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the magnitude and time course of postflight recovery of postural equilibrium control and, hence, readaptation of CNS processing of sensory information. Thirteen crew members from six spaceflight missions were studied pre- and postflight using a modified commercial posturography system. Postural equilibrium control was found to be seriously disrupted immediately following spaceflight in all subjects. Readaptation to the terrestrial environment began immediately upon landing, proceeded rapidly for the first 10-12 hours, and then proceeded much more slowly for the subsequent 2-4 days until preflight stability levels were reachieved. It is concluded that the overall postflight recovery of postural stability follows a predictable time course.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effects of gas properties and waveform asymmetry on gas transport in a branching tube network.

Local gas transport coefficients, quantifying longitudinal dispersion through a symmetrical constant-diameter tube network, have been measured during oscillation with both symmetrical and nonsymmetrical waveforms. Experiments were carried out over a range of conditions that would prevail in the central to lower airways during high-frequency ventilation at moderate frequency (5 Hz) and tidal volume (15-80 ml). Gas transport coefficients resulting from oscillation of three different resident-trace gas pairs were measured using a new analytic technique. This technique allowed rapid determination of the transport coefficient distribution along the entire network. Results demonstrate a small but significant influence attributable to changes in gas properties that is similar to that found in a straight tube and indicate that augmented dispersion is an important mechanism of axial transport. Gas transport coefficients were found to be unaffected by changes in flow waveform symmetry, suggesting that previously reported improvements in gas exchange associated with decreasing inspiratory to expiratory time ratios are not due to a change in local conditions such as asymmetry in the velocity profile.

Air↗
PubMed1985

Effects of changing inspiratory to expiratory time ratio on carbon dioxide elimination during high-frequency jet ventilation.

Clinical observations indicate that gas exchange during high-frequency ventilation can be improved by decreasing the inspiratory to expiratory time ratio (I/E). Decreasing I/E at a fixed frequency may therefore allow a reduction of tidal volume (VT) without affecting gas exchange. This decreased VT may result in lower airway pressures, and thereby reduce the incidence of barotrauma. In order to quantify the effects of I/E on gas exchange, the relationship between carbon dioxide elimination and VT was studied in 6 mongrel dogs at I/E of 1/2, 1/1, and 2/1. Ventilation was provided by a jet-type high-frequency ventilator using a frequency of 5 Hz and VT of 17 to 100% of the anatomic dead space. Carbon dioxide elimination was found to vary inversely with (I/E)0.9, corroborating the clinical observations. These data add further evidence that I/E may be a useful parameter in optimizing high-frequency ventilation and provide a quantitative relationship that can be used to predict the effect that altering I/E will have on gas exchange.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Failure of red blood cell transfusion to increase oxygen transport or mixed venous PO2 in injured patients.

Post-trauma patients have an oxygen consumption which is proportional to oxygen delivery, suggesting that tissue oxygen consumption is limited by diffusion. Transfusion of packed red blood cells (RBC), which increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, would be expected to increase mixed venous PO2, thereby improving tissue oxygenation. However, the low P50 of stored blood may increase the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen and reduce oxygen consumption. To evaluate the net effect of these mechanisms, we studied hemodynamic and oxygen transport parameters before and after RBC transfusion in eight critically ill patients. Mixed venous O2 content was measured directly by fuel cell O2 analyzer, and standard P50 was calculated. Following transfusion of one unit of packed RBC which increased mean hemoglobin from 9.2 +/- 0.3 gm/dl to 10.1 +/- 0.3 gm/dl (p less than 0.01), there were no changes in oxygen delivery (490 +/- 80 ml/min/m2), oxygen consumption (210 +/- 30 ml/min/m2), or mixed venous PO/ (37 +/- 2 Torr). Cardiac index (4.1 +/- 0.71 L/min) decreased by 0.4 L/min/m2 (p less than 0.05). Standard P50 decreased by 4.2 +/- 2.4 Torr following transfusion of two units of RBC (p less than 0.05). Red blood cell transfusion thus failed to increase oxygen consumption in these patients, despite an increase in oxygen content. Thus, RBC transfusion may not improve tissue oxygenation.

Adult↗