title: Alterations in the heart rate and activity rhythms of three orbital astronauts on a space mission.
abstract: Environmental factors in space are dramatically different from those on Earth. The spaceflight environment has been known to influence human physiology and behavior on orbital missions. In this study, we investigated alterations in the diurnal rhythms of activity and heart rate of three Chinese astronauts on a space mission. An analysis of the heart rate data showed a significant decrease in heart rate amplitudes during flight in all three subjects. The heart rate amplitudes of all the three astronauts were significantly dampened during flight, and the minimum as well as the maximum value of heart rate increased after flight. A phase shift in heart rate was observed in one of the three astronauts after flight. These results demonstrate the influence of spaceflight on heart physiology and function. In addition, a significant decrease in body trunk activity and rhythmicity occurred during flight, demonstrating that the spaceflight environment disturbs motion adaptation and diurnal activity rhythms.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, P.O. Box 5132-26, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhizhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
authors.forename: Yufeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, P.O. Box 5132-26, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Space Medicine Fundamentals and Application, China Astronaut Research and Training Centre, Beijing 100094, China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Space Medicine Fundamentals and Application, China Astronaut Research and Training Centre, Beijing 100094, China.
authors.forename: Yinghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, P.O. Box 5132-26, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chunhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, P.O. Box 5132-26, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, P.O. Box 5132-26, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shanguang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: guojinhu@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jinhu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000328:Adult; D018480:Astronauts; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013026:Space Flight; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014893:Weightlessness / Q000009:adverse effects*
keywords: Activity; Diurnal rhythms; Heart rate; Microgravity; Spaceflight