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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

The effect of space missions on gravity-responsive torsional eye movements

Three astronauts underwent preflight, inflight, and postflight testing of spontaneous ocular torsion and of ocular counterrolling (OCR), reflexes governed by the gravity-responsive otolith organs in the inner ear. One astronaut, A, had a 30-day space mission on Euromir '94 and was examined monocularly with SensoMotoric Instruments video-oculography (VOG). The other two astronauts, B and C, were studied with a binocular VOG and flew an 180-day mission on Euromir '95. In space, spontaneous eye torsion in the upright position was found to be substantially offset from baseline Earth-based recordings in all three subjects for the duration of the flights. In addition, the binocular studies showed a marked torsional disconjugacy. On return to Earth, offset and torsional disconjugacy persisted for many days. OCR in response to 30 degrees right and left tilt was examined preflight and postflight. Compared to preflight, Astronaut A showed reduced OCR immediately postflight, which increased over the next few days. Both Astronauts B and C had increased OCR postflight, which gradually approached but did not achieve the preflight values over 13 days postflight. The adaptation of ocular torsion in space in one astronaut and not in the other two, and slow adaptation postflight, may reflect the lack of visual feed-back and the open loop nature of the otolith-ocular torsion reflex.

short duration↗
NASA NTRS1993

Two-dimensional spatiotemporal coding of linear acceleration in vestibular nuclei neurons

Response properties of vertical (VC) and horizontal (HC) canal/otolith-convergent vestibular nuclei neurons were studied in decerebrate rats during stimulation with sinusoidal linear accelerations (0.2-1.4 Hz) along different directions in the head horizontal plane. A novel characteristic of the majority of tested neurons was the nonzero response often elicited during stimulation along the "null" direction (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the maximum sensitivity vector, Smax). The tuning ratio (Smin gain/Smax gain), a measure of the two-dimensional spatial sensitivity, depended on stimulus frequency. For most vestibular nuclei neurons, the tuning ratio was small at the lowest stimulus frequencies and progressively increased with frequency. Specifically, HC neurons were characterized by a flat Smax gain and an approximately 10-fold increase of Smin gain per frequency decade. Thus, these neurons encode linear acceleration when stimulated along their maximum sensitivity direction, and the rate of change of linear acceleration (jerk) when stimulated along their minimum sensitivity direction. While the Smax vectors were distributed throughout the horizontal plane, the Smin vectors were concentrated mainly ipsilaterally with respect to head acceleration and clustered around the naso-occipital head axis. The properties of VC neurons were distinctly different from those of HC cells. The majority of VC cells showed decreasing Smax gains and small, relatively flat, Smin gains as a function of frequency. The Smax vectors were distributed ipsilaterally relative to the induced (apparent) head tilt. In type I anterior or posterior VC neurons, Smax vectors were clustered around the projection of the respective ipsilateral canal plane onto the horizontal head plane. These distinct spatial and temporal properties of HC and VC neurons during linear acceleration are compatible with the spatiotemporal organization of the horizontal and the vertical/torsional ocular responses, respectively, elicited in the rat during linear translation in the horizontal head plane. In addition, the data suggest a spatially and temporally specific and selective otolith/canal convergence. We propose that the central otolith system is organized in canal coordinates such that there is a close alignment between the plane of angular acceleration (canal) sensitivity and the plane of linear acceleration (otolith) sensitivity in otolith/canal-convergent vestibular nuclei neurons.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗
DOE OSTI2026

A dendritic strontium river isoscape for fisheries applications in the Sacramento River basin, California, USA

Objective Understanding the origins and movements of fish is fundamental to effective conservation and fisheries management. Strontium isotope ratios ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) in otoliths provide a powerful tracer of natal origin and migratory pathways. However, existing 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isoscapes for the Sacramento River basin, an ecosystem that supports ecologically and economically important salmon populations, rely on discrete classification approaches that overlook unsampled habitats and do not incorporate spatial uncertainty. Our objective was to develop a continuous, network-explicit 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isoscape with quantified uncertainty to fill in data gaps and enable probabilistic assignments of fish origin and movement. Methods We used river water 87 Sr/ 86 Sr data from 106 sites (1997–2021) to develop spatial stream network models that use dendritic connectivity and watershed characteristics (lithology, bedrock age, and land cover) to predict river water 87 Sr/ 86 Sr throughout the basin. Models were fitted using maximum and restricted likelihood and were evaluated via Akaike’s information criterion and leave-one-out cross validation. We produced both historical (pre-dam) and present-day (below-dam) isoscapes, delineated uncertainty-informed isotopic ranges using k -means clustering, and applied a proof-of-concept Bayesian assignment to estimate natal origins and early rearing habitats for two endangered winter-run Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Results Cross validation indicated strong performance of the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr model (leave-one-out cross validation: R 2 = 0.91; root mean square error = 0.0005). Uncertainty-informed clustering identified 19 isotopic “suites” (reaches with indistinguishable 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values) in present-day anadromous habitats and 25 suites in the historical network. Example natal and early rearing assignments included predictions that challenged expectations for juvenile salmon migration based on predicted river 87 Sr/ 86 Sr compositions. Conclusions This study developed a continuous, network-explicit 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isoscape that integrates existing river data to predict 87 Sr/ 86 Sr in unsampled reaches and the likely achievable range and resolution of otolith-based origin and life history inference. The resulting river isoscape provides a valuable tool to predict salmon movements and identify habitats supporting their survival and growth that otherwise might remain undetected. Coupling these predictions with complementary approaches that ground-truth juvenile presence (e.g., targeted fish surveys) represents an important step toward science-informed restoration and management of critical habitats throughout the Sacramento River basin.

Environmental sciences↗
NASA NTRS1971

A model describing vestibular detection of body sway motion.

An experimental technique was developed which facilitated the formulation of a quantitative model describing vestibular detection of body sway motion in a postural response mode. All cues, except vestibular ones, which gave a subject an indication that he was beginning to sway, were eliminated using a specially designed two-degree-of-freedom platform; body sway was then induced and resulting compensatory responses at the ankle joints measured. Hybrid simulation compared the experimental results with models of the semicircular canals and utricular otolith receptors. Dynamic characteristics of the resulting canal model compared closely with characteristics of models which describe eye movement and subjective responses to body rotational motions. The average threshold level, in the postural response mode, however, was considerably lower. Analysis indicated that the otoliths probably play no role in the initial detection of body sway motion.

Nashner, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The vestibular system of the owl

Five owls were given vestibular examinations, and two of them were sacrificed to provide serial histological sections of the temporal bones. The owls exhibited a curious variability in the postrotatory head nystagmus following abrupt deceleration; sometimes a brisk nystagnus with direction opposite to that appropriate to the stimulus would occur promptly after deceleration. It was found also that owls can exhibit a remarkable head stability during angular movement of the body about any axis passing through the skull. The vestibular apparatus in the owl is larger than in man, and a prominent crista neglecta is present. The tectorial membrane, the cupula, and the otolithic membranes of the utricle, saccule, and lagena are all attached to surfaces in addition to the surfaces hearing hair cells. These attachments are very substantial in the utricular otolithic membrane and in the cupula.

Money, K. E.↗
NASA NTRS1978

A temporary threshold shift for self-motion detection following sustained, oscillating linear acceleration

Thresholds for detecting linear motion (self-motion) increased following exposure of human observers to sustained linear oscillation (fatiguing stimulus) at 0.26 Hz and approximately 0.5 G peak-to-peak for durations up to 30 min. Recovery to preexposure levels took place over a period of 10 to 15 min following the sustained oscillation termination. Differences in threshold shift magnitudes following sustained oscillation in various orientations support the interpretation that the observed threshold shifts resulted from fatigue of the utricular otolith receptors. Threshold shifts were not obtained following exposure of the human observers to sustained, unidirectional linear acceleration (2G) for durations up to 10 min with a centrifuge. The results of this study suggest a previously unobserved response property of the otolith organs, namely, that these organs can be fatigued in a manner analogous to other receptor systems.

Parker, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Results of the study of the vestibular apparatus and the functions of the perception of space in cosmonauts (pre- and post-flight observations)

The effect of the set of space flight factors caused a change in the activity of the vestibular apparatus and the spatial perception function. More significant and longer shifts were observed during expeditions of great duration. The detected disorders (increase in reactivity of the otolithic apparatus, decrease in sensitivity of the cupula receptor, deterioration in the perception accuracy, etc.) had a definite tendency to be restored. The primary damage to the otolithic reflex (changes were found in practically all the subjects) is probably caused by the specific effect of zero gravitation, and apparently, may be one of the trigger mechanisms for discrepancy in the activity of the sensory systems, disorders in the correcting function of the cerebellum, and central vestibular formations.

Yakovleva, I. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Eye torsion and the apparent horizon under head tilt and visual field rotation

Two different experimental manipulations, namely head tilt and the viewing of a visual display rotating around the line of sight, induce torsional displacements of the eyes and a tilting of the apparent horizon. The present study examines the routes by which visual (field rotation) and otolith-proprioceptive (head tilt) sources of afference influence horizon judgments. In particular, the relationship between torsional eye movements and horizon estimates is addressed. The results indicate that visual and otolith-proprioceptive information sum directly in their influence on eye torsion, but interact more complexly in horizon estimates, indicating a dissociation of their central determinants.

Merker, B. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Vestibular experiments

Spacelab experiments designed to investigate space motion sickness, any associated changes in otolith-mediated responses occurring during weightlessness, and the carryover of any such changes to postflight conditions are described. The experiments aimed at assessing otolithic responses in space are intended to clarify presumed alterations in vestibular function during weightlessness. Vestibular function will be investigated at several levels: vestibulo-ocular reflexes, vestibulo-spinal pathways, cortical functions involving perception of motion and spatial orientation, visual vestibular interaction, and motion sickness susceptibility. A second major objective relates to space motion sickness and man's well-being and productivity in space.

Young, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Vestibulo-spinal reflex mechanisms

The specific objectives of experiments designed to investigate postural reflex behavior during sustained weightlessness are discussed. The first is to investigate, during prolonged weightlessness with Hoffmann response (H-reflex) measurement procedures, vestibulo-spinal reflexes associated with vestibular (otolith) responses evoked during an applied linear acceleration. This objective includes not only an evaluation of otolith-induced changes in a major postural muscle but also an investigation with this technique of the adaptive process of the vestibular system and spinal reflex mechanisms to this unique environment. The second objective is to relate space motion sickness to the results of this investigation. Finally, a return to the vestibulo-spinal and postural reflexes to normal values following the flight will be examined. The flight experiment involves activation of nerve tissue (tibial N) with electrical shock and the recording of resulting muscle activity (soleus) with surface electrodes. Soleus/spinal H-reflex testing procedures will be used in conjuction with linear acceleration through the subject's X-axis.

Reschke, M. F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Etiological factors in space motion sickness

The human susceptibility to motion sickness during exposure to sudden-stop stimulation as a function of gravitoinertial force level is studied. It is determined that susceptibility is greatly enhanced, both with eyes-closed and eyes-open, for zero-g and 2-g conditions in parabolic flight compared with 1-g test conditions. It is argued that this change in susceptibility is related to alterations in vestibulo-occular function which result from variations in gravitoinertial force level, the altered patterns of otolithic activity resulting during variations in gravitoinertial force level, and the altered canal-otolith response synergies that result during exposure to gravitoinertial force levels greater or less than terrestrial levels. These factors are found to be related to the etiology of space motion sickness and to the alterations in performance and vestibular function that are experienced by astronauts during reentry. An explanation is presented for the decrease in susceptibility to motion sickness exhibited by the Skylab astronauts inflight and for some period postflight during exposure to cross-coupled angular accelerations.

Lackner, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Vestibulospinal reflexes as a function of microgravity

Data from previous manned space flights suggest that an exposure to microgravity produces significant alterations in vestibular, neuromuscular, and related sensory system functions. It is possible that the observed changes are a function of adaptation induced by altered otolith input. An experiment in Spacelab 1 was conducted with the aim to study this adaptation as it occurred in flight and after flight, and to relate the observed changes to mechanisms underlying space motion sickness. The concept was explored by making use of the anatomic pathway which links the otolith organs and spinal motoneurons. The overall sensitivity of the spinal motoneurons was tested by two related methods. One method involves the electrical excitation of neural tissue and the recording of vestibulospinal reflexes in conjunction with a brief linear acceleration. The second method is concerned with measurements of dynamic postural ataxia. Results suggest that more than a single time constant may be involved in man's ability to return to baseline values.

Reschke, M. F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Role of orientation reference selection in motion sickness, supplement 2S

Previous experiments with moving platform posturography have shown that different people have varying abilities to resolve conflicts among vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive sensory signals. The conceptual basis of the present proposal hinges on the similarities between the space motion sickness problem and the sensory orientation reference selection problems associated with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) syndrome. These similarities include both etiology related to abnormal vertical canal-otolith function, and motion sickness initiating events provoked by pitch and roll head movements. The objectives are to explore and quantify the orientation reference selection abilities of subjects and the relation of this selection to motion sickness in humans. The overall objectives are to determine: if motion sickness susceptibility is related to sensory orientation reference selection abilities of subjects; if abnormal vertical canal-otolith function is the source of abnormal posture control strategies and if it can be quantified by vestibular and oculomotor reflex measurements, and if it can be quantified by vestibular and oculomotor reflex measurements; and quantifiable measures of perception of vestibular and visual motion cues can be related to motion sickness susceptibility and to orientation reference selection ability.

Peterka, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Visual field influence on manual roll and pitch stabilization

Human control performance in nulling perceived tilt angles was investigated for combinations of pseudo-random vestibular disturbances and different waveforms of low frequency wide visual field motions. For both roll and pitch axes, subjects tilted the trainer in which they were seated in the direction of field rotation. This visual bias was much stronger for pitch backwards with upward field rotation. Frequency response analysis showed the dominance of visual cues at low frequencies (below 0.06 Hz) and the reliance on vestibular information in the high frequency range for both axes. Models suggest that operator balancing responses at high frequencies are mainly processed by the semicircular canals rather than the otolith organs. The results also suggest that the subject tends to rely less on the otolith organs for pitch perception than for roll.

Huang, J.-K.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Role of orientation reference selection in motion sickness

Previous experiments with moving platform posturography have shown that different people have varying abilities to resolve conflicts among vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive sensory signals used to control upright posture. In particular, there is one class of subjects with a vestibular disorder known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) who often are particularly sensitive to inaccurate visual information. That is, they will use visual sensory information for the control of their posture even when that visual information is inaccurate and is in conflict with accurate proprioceptive and vestibular sensory signals. BPPV has been associated with disorders of both posterior semicircular canal function and possibly otolith function. The present proposal hopes to take advantage of the similarities between the space motion sickness problem and the sensory orientation reference selection problems associated with the BPPV syndrome. These similarities include both etiology related to abnormal vertical canal-otolith function, and motion sickness initiating events provoked by pitch and roll head movements. The objectives of this proposal are to explore and quantify the orientation reference selection abilities of subjects and the relation of this selection to motion sickness in humans.

Peterka, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Earth horizontal axis rotational responses in patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular deficits

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) of five patients with surgically confirmed unilateral peripheral vestibular lesions is evaluated. Testing used both earth vertical axis (EVA) and earth horizontal axis (EHA) yaw rotation. Results indicated that the patients had short VOR time constants, asymmetric responses to both EVA and EHA rotation, and normal EHA modulation components. These findings suggest that unilateral peripheral vestibular loss causes a shortened VOR time constant even with the addition of dynamic otolithic stimulation and causes an asymmetry in semicircular canal-ocular reflexes and one aspect of otolith-ocular reflexes.

Furman, Joseph M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Instrument Measures Ocular Counterrolling

Compact, battery-powered, noninvasive unit replaces several pieces of equipment and operator. Instrument that looks like pair of goggles with small extension box measures ocular counterrotation. Called "otolith tilt-translation reinterpretation" (OTTR) goggles, used in studies of space motion sickness. Also adapted to use on Earth and determine extent of impairment in patients who have impaired otolith functions.

Levitan, Barry M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Susceptibility of the squirrel monkey to different motion conditions

The exact stimulus eliciting vomiting in animal studies of motion sickness is difficult to specify because the vestibular stimulation produced by many motion conditions is confounded by voluntary movements with animals. This is an important problem because experiments with animal models of motion sickness can provide useful information about antimotion sickness drugs or the role of neural mechanisms, only when animals are exposed to the same motion stimuli in each experimental session. A series of tests were conducted to determine the susceptibility of 15 adult squirrel monkeys to motion sickness in freely moving and restrained test conditions. Canal stimulation was varied by exposing the monkey in freely moving conditions to varying degrees of angular velocity (60, 90, 120, 150 deg/sec), and in restrained conditions to one angular velocity (150 deg/sec) and to cross-coupling effects of whole-body roll movements during rotation. Otolith stimulation was investigated by using sinusoidal vertical linear acceleration during free movement conditions, and off-vertical rotation and earth-horizontal (BBQ) rotation while restrained. The percentage of freely moving animal vomiting during vertical axis rotation was 27, 93, 86, and 92 for the angular velocities of 60, 90, 120, and 150 deg/sec respectively. None of the monkeys vomited during vertical axis rotation or cross-coupled rotation when restrained. Otolith stimulation appears to be a less provocative stimulus for the squirrel monkey as the percentage of animals vomiting were 13, 0, and 7 for the conditions of free movement during oscillation, restraint during off-vertical, and BBQ rotation respectively. Motion sickness to the point of vomiting occurred regularly only in conditions where self-motion was possible. Such effects could occur because voluntary movement during motion augments vestibular effects by producing self-inflicted cross-coupling, but the failure to elicit vomiting with experimenter-coupling cross-coupling argues against this interpretation. Alternatively, these results might imply that feedback from movement control mechanisms may play an important role in sensory conflict as suggested by Oman's sensory-motor conflict theory.

R A Fox↗