Arm tremor and precision of hand force control in a short and long term flight on the MIR-Space-Station.
To determine whether long and short time exposure of man in 0g alters normal physiological tremor patterns we recorded arm tremor using an accelerometer as well as hand forces and tremor during constant isometric contraction using a load cell. Arm tremor was decreased during both flights in amplitude and frequency. Shortly after the long term flight arm tremor amplitude was increased, indicating adaptive changes in the tonic reflex loop. Isometric hand tremor remained unchanged during the long and short time flight demonstrating that the contractile properties of hand muscles remained constant. Precision of hand force was decreased until the half duration of the long term flight.
Gallasch
E
E
University of Graz, Department of Physiology, Austria.
Kozlovskaya
I
I
Loscher
W N
WN
Konev
A
A
Kenner
T
T
D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013026:Space Flight; D014202:Tremor / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014893:Weightlessness / Q000009:adverse effects*