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Change in Lumbar Muscle Size and Composition on MRI with Long-Duration Spaceflight

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Abstract

Prolonged microgravity results in muscle atrophy, especially among the anti-gravity spinal muscles. How individual paravertebral muscle groups change in size and composition with spaceflight needs further exploration. This study investigates lumbar spine musculature changes among six crewmembers on long-duration space missions using non-invasive measurement of muscle changes with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Pre- and post-flight lumbar images were analyzed for changes in cross-sectional area, volume, and fat infiltration of the psoas (PS), quadratus lumborum (QL), and paraspinal [erector spinae and multifidus (ES + MF)] muscles using mixed models. Crewmembers used onboard exercise equipment, including a cycle ergometer (CEVIS), treadmill (T2/COLBERT), and the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED). Correlations were used to assess muscle changes related to exercise modality. There was substantial variability in muscle changes across crewmembers but collectively a significant decrease in paraspinal area (− 9.0 ± 4.8%, p = 0.04) and a significant increase in QL fat infiltration (7.3 ± 4.1%, p = 0.05). More CEVIS time may have protected against PS volume loss (p = 0.05) and PS fat infiltration (p < 0.01), and more ARED usage may have protected against ES + MF volume loss (p = 0.05). Crewmembers using modern onboard exercise equipment may be less susceptible to muscle changes. However, variability between crewmembers and muscle size and quality losses suggest additional research is needed to ensure in-flight countermeasures preserve muscle health.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Charlie Warren, Meredith Rossi, and Saroochi Agarwal from NASA’s Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health and Life Sciences Data Archive for preparing the imaging dataset and in-flight exercise data used in this study. Funding was provided by the NASA Human Research Program (NNX16AP89G). Dr. Ashley Weaver is supported by a NIH/NIA Career Development Award (K25 AG058804) and Katelyn Greene is supported by a NIH/NIA Predoctoral Fellowship (F31 AG069414).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Injury Biomechanics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Katelyn A. Greene & Ashley A. Weaver

  2. Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Janet A. Tooze

  3. Department of Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Leon Lenchik

  4. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27101, USA

    Ashley A. Weaver

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  1. Katelyn A. Greene
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Correspondence to Ashley A. Weaver.

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Associate Editor Stefan M. Duma oversaw the review of this article.

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Greene, K.A., Tooze, J.A., Lenchik, L. et al. Change in Lumbar Muscle Size and Composition on MRI with Long-Duration Spaceflight. Ann Biomed Eng 50, 816–824 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-022-02968-3

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