Effects of Spaceflight on Venous and Arterial Compliance

The visual impairment and intracranial pressure (VIIP) syndrome is a spaceflight-associated set of symptoms affecting more than 50% of American astronauts who have flown International Space Station (ISS) missions. VIIP is defined primarily by visual acuity deficits and anatomical changes to eye stru...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI). Conference Proceedings
Main Authors Ribeiro, L C, Laurie, S S, Lee, S M C, Macias, B R, Martin, D S, Ploutz-Snyder, R, Stenger, M B, Platts, S H
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published Hampton NASA/Langley Research Center 23.01.2017
Subjects
Acuity
Astronauts
Bed rest
Cardiovascular system
Compliance
Edema
International Space Station
Intracranial pressure
People with disabilities
Radiation effects
Space flight
Space missions
Visual acuity
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Summary:The visual impairment and intracranial pressure (VIIP) syndrome is a spaceflight-associated set of symptoms affecting more than 50% of American astronauts who have flown International Space Station (ISS) missions. VIIP is defined primarily by visual acuity deficits and anatomical changes to eye structures (e.g. optic disc edema, choroidal folds, and globe flattening) and is hypothesized to be related to elevated intracranial pressure secondary to a cephalad fluid shift. However, ocular symptoms have not been replicated in subjects completing prolonged bed rest, a well-accepted spaceflight analog. Altered vascular compliance along with spaceflight factors such as diet, radiation exposure, or environmental factors may cause alterations in the cardiovascular system that contribute to the manifestation of ocular changes. Loss of visual acuity could be a significant threat to crew health and performance during and after an exploration mission and may have implications for years post-flight. The overall objective of this project is to determine if spaceflight alters vascular compliance and whether such an adaptation is related to the incidence of VIIP. This objective will be met by completing three separate but related projects.