Page 189 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

symptoms of space motion sickness and vestibular
disorders up to return plus 8 to 9 days postflight.
The procedure and hardware/software systems
developed for spaceflight have also demonstrated
effectiveness of the computerized method and
hardware/software systems for use in diagnosing
conditions of the vestibular and its related sensory
systems (primarily visual), as well as in assessing the
stability of static and dynamic spatial orientation on
Earth. The systems have particularly been useful in
experiments simulating weightlessness (i.e., immersion
and bed rest), in examining highly qualified athletes
(e.g., high-performance sports: gymnastics, figure
and speed skating, target shooting, etc.), in diagnosing
and treating patients who are suffering from dizziness
Application of the OculoStim-CM hardware and and equilibrium disturbances, and in evaluating the
virtual reality glasses in a joint 60-day bedrest effectiveness of medications (i.e., betahistine drugs
experiment in Cologne, Germany (2016).
Betaver and Betaserc). The OculoStim-CM complex
Image credit: Institute of Biomedical Problems is successfully certified for use in clinical studies and
has been used in diagnostics of more than 200 patients
with vertigo, dizziness and equilibrium disturbances,
together with specialists from the nervous disease
At the basis of the method lies the assessment of eye department of the I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State
movement reactions—visual tracking tests that are Medical University, the Academician Alexander Vein
conducted both with visual targets (stimuli) on a clean Clinic for the Treatment of Headaches and Vegetative
(black) field on the screen and against a backdrop Disorders, the Federal Scientific Clinical Center of
of additional visual interferences (diffuse spots/ Otorhinolaryngology, and the Research Center of
ellipses moving horizontally or vertically) to “irritate” Neurology. Such application in clinical practice has
the peripheral vision. During the testing under differing made it possible to develop diagnostic criteria to
conditions, movements of the eyes (by electro- and determine the type of vestibular disturbance, while
video- oculography) and the head (using angular rate offering a rapid, less-expensive initial differential
sensors and accelerometers) are recorded. diagnosis of dizziness and balance disturbances
The eye-movement system is controlled by a complex compared to traditional clinical testing.
hierarchy of innervation mechanisms located at different
levels of the nervous system. The use of a special test
battery makes it possible to evaluate the disruptions Space Research Leads to Non-
that are occurring in various forms of eye movements pharmacological Treatment and
and, given the known mechanisms of how these Prevention of Vertigo, Dizziness
movements are performed, to find the causes of and Equilibrium disturbances
these disturbances. The history of spaceflight has shown that initial
This method has been actively used during prolonged introduction to the weightlessness environment,
spaceflight aboard the ISS in a space experiment called such as that of the ISS, can lead to space motion
Virtual since 2013, and after crew members return to sickness, which makes crew members feel dizzy and
Earth during Sensory Adaptation study since 2001. uncoordinated, and even impacting their ability to track
objects with their eyes. The result can be a negative
Recent studies have shown that repeated spaceflight effect both on the health of crew members and on
leads to a dramatic, statistically significant reduction in the quality of their work performance during flight.
the duration of postflight re-adaptation with significantly
less severe vestibular disorders. Cosmonauts with At present, medications are typically used to eliminate
a prior experience of being in microgravity had the symptoms of space motion sickness; however,
significantly changed vestibular reactions only on return these medications come with contraindications and
plus 1 to 2 days postflight whereas cosmonauts who side effects that can have a negative effect on various
were in long-term spaceflight for the first time had types of professional activity. Therefore, there is an

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