Sensorimotor disturbances in astronauts following space flight: Causes, evaluation, and countermeasures

Spaceflight induces a myriad of changes on the physiology of the human body. A cumulative result of many of these changes is sensorimotor dysfunction whereby small movements at the head level may lead to an exaggerated sense of movement. An astronaut's activities of daily living are directly affected until that time when his/her functional performance has returned to near-baseline, a process that may take up to 15 days post-return. These physiological changes can also affect performance in the foreseeable future during exploration class missions.;This project reviews current areas of research that are investigating possible countermeasures to reduce the time needed to return to baseline functional performance with regards to posture and gait instability. It will also review other strategies that are currently being utilized in the non-astronaut, outpatient rehabilitation setting and present evidence suggesting their potential ability to mitigate postflight sensorimotor dysfunction.