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The function of the autonomic nervous system during spaceflight

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Abstract

Introduction

Despite decades of study, a clear understanding of autonomic nervous system activity in space remains elusive. Differential interpretation of fundamental data has driven divergent theories of sympathetic activation and vasorelaxation.

Methods

This paper will review the available in-flight autonomic and hemodynamic data in an effort to resolve these discrepancies. The NASA NEUROLAB mission, the most comprehensive assessment of autonomic function in microgravity to date, will be highlighted. The mechanisms responsible for altered autonomic activity during spaceflight, which include the effects of hypovolemia, cardiovascular deconditioning, and altered central processing, will be presented.

Results

The NEUROLAB experiments demonstrated increased sympathetic activity and impairment of vagal baroreflex function during short-duration spaceflight. Subsequent non-invasive studies of autonomic function during spaceflight have largely reinforced these findings, and provide strong evidence that sympathetic activity is increased in space relative to the supine position on Earth. Others have suggested that microgravity induces a state of relative vasorelaxation and increased vagal activity when compared to upright posture on Earth. These ostensibly disparate theories are not mutually exclusive, but rather directly reflect different pre-flight postural controls.

Conclusion

When these results are taken together, they demonstrate that the effectual autonomic challenge of spaceflight is small, and represents an orthostatic stress less than that of upright posture on Earth. In-flight countermeasures, including aerobic and resistance exercise, as well short-arm centrifugation, have been successfully deployed to counteract these mechanisms. Despite subtle changes in autonomic activity during spaceflight, underlying neurohumoral mechanisms of the autonomic nervous system remain intact and cardiovascular function remains stable during long-duration flight.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants M01 RR00095, 5P01 HL56693. We thank the NEUROLAB team, especially Dr. Dwain Eckberg and Dr. Ben Levine, for the advice and support. We thank Dr. Jens Tank for providing detailed data from the ISS Pneumocard study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Autonomic Dysfunction Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1161 21st Avenue South, Suite AA3228 MCN, Nashville, TN, 37232-2195, USA

    Kyle Timothy Mandsager, David Robertson & André Diedrich

  2. Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA

    David Robertson & André Diedrich

  3. Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA

    David Robertson

  4. School of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA

    André Diedrich

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  1. Kyle Timothy Mandsager
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Correspondence to André Diedrich.

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Mandsager, K.T., Robertson, D. & Diedrich, A. The function of the autonomic nervous system during spaceflight. Clin Auton Res 25, 141–151 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-015-0285-y

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