Exposure to an extreme environment comes at a sensorimotor cost

Long duration space flight is known to induce severe modifications in the sensorimotor and musculoskeletal systems. While in-flight strategies including physical fitness have been used to prevent the loss of bone and muscle mass using appropriate rehabilitative countermeasures, less attention has been put forth in the design of technologies that can quickly and effectively assess sensorimotor function during missions in space. The aims of the present study were therefore (1) to develop a Portable Sensorimotor Assessment Platform (PSAP) to enable a crewmember to independently and quickly assess his/her sensorimotor function during the NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) and (2) to investigate changes in performance of static posture, tandem gait, and lower limb ataxia due to exposure in an extreme environment. Our data reveal that measuring the degree of upper body balance and gait regularity during tandem walking using PSAP provided a sensitive and objective quantification of body movement abnormalities due to changes in sensorimotor performance over the duration of mission exposure. Diagnostics: New test for sensory and motor problems An assessment tool that combines body sensors and a walking task can detect functional abnormalities following prolonged exposure to an extreme environment. Michael Schubert from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, USA, and colleagues integrated five wireless inertial sensors with a computer tablet to develop what they call the Portable Sensorimotor Assessment Platform (PSAP). They tested the platform on crewmembers living in an undersea laboratory, assigning various physical tasks to investigate posture, gait, and limb function. They found that using PSAP while participants walked in a straight line with one foot immediately in front of the other—heel to toe—offered an accurate and unbiased picture of upper body balance and gait regularity. Similar methods could help measure sensorimotor function and avoid injury among astronauts on extended missions to Mars or elsewhere.