Central adaptation to repeated galvanic vestibular stimulation: implications for pre-flight astronaut training

PLoS One. 2014 Nov 19;9(11):e112131. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112131. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Healthy subjects (N = 10) were exposed to 10-min cumulative pseudorandom bilateral bipolar Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) on a weekly basis for 12 weeks (120 min total exposure). During each trial subjects performed computerized dynamic posturography and eye movements were measured using digital video-oculography. Follow up tests were conducted 6 weeks and 6 months after the 12-week adaptation period. Postural performance was significantly impaired during GVS at first exposure, but recovered to baseline over a period of 7-8 weeks (70-80 min GVS exposure). This postural recovery was maintained 6 months after adaptation. In contrast, the roll vestibulo-ocular reflex response to GVS was not attenuated by repeated exposure. This suggests that GVS adaptation did not occur at the vestibular end-organs or involve changes in low-level (brainstem-mediated) vestibulo-ocular or vestibulo-spinal reflexes. Faced with unreliable vestibular input, the cerebellum reweighted sensory input to emphasize veridical extra-vestibular information, such as somatosensation, vision and visceral stretch receptors, to regain postural function. After a period of recovery subjects exhibited dual adaption and the ability to rapidly switch between the perturbed (GVS) and natural vestibular state for up to 6 months.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological*
  • Adult
  • Astronauts
  • Electric Stimulation / methods*
  • Eye Movement Measurements
  • Eye Movements
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Posture*
  • Sensation
  • Space Flight*
  • Vestibular Function Tests

Grants and funding

This study was funded by grants from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (SA01603) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX12AM25G). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.