Alterations of Functional Brain Connectivity After Long-Duration Spaceflight as Revealed by fMRI.

ABSTRACT: The present study reports alterations of task-based functional brain connectivity in a group of 11 cosmonauts after a long-duration spaceflight, compared to a healthy control group not involved in the space program. To elicit the postural and locomotor sensorimotor mechanisms that are usually most significantly impaired when space travelers return to Earth, a plantar stimulation paradigm was used in a block design fMRI study. The motor control system activated by the plantar stimulation involved the pre-central and post-central gyri, SMA, SII/operculum, and, to a lesser degree, the insular cortex and cerebellum. While no post-flight alterations were observed in terms of activation, the network-based statistics approach revealed task-specific functional connectivity modifications within a b

SUBMITTER: Pechenkova E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6621543 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature