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Science Objectives for Everyone
On Earth, blood flows down from a person’s brain back toward the heart thanks in part to gravity, but very little is known about how this flow happens without gravity’s effects. Many crewmembers report headaches and other neurological symptoms in space, which may be related to the absence of gravity acting on blood flowing through the veins. Drain Brain uses a special neck collar to measure blood flow from the brain, to help researchers understand which physical processes in the body can compensate for the lack of gravity to ensure blood flows properly.
Research Overview
• In the human being, cerebral circulation, including the venous outflow mechanisms from the skull, is one of the major regulators of the brain physiology. Currently, due to the inherent variability and complexity of the cerebral venous system, there is a lack of methodology for reliable and objective quantification of the cerebral venous return. Moreover, since cerebral venous return is greatly influenced by the gravitational gradient when up-right, and by the thoracic respiratory pump when supine, very little is known about the mechanisms ensuring blood outflow from the brain in a condition of microgravity.
• We propose to develop a strain-gauge plethysmography system to investigate human physiology processes, according to an experimental protocol to be applied by the crewmember during the mission on the ISS. The instrumentation will be used on board the ISS both to study cerebral venous return in microgravity conditions and to properly understand the phenomena of physiological adaptation.
• Strain-gauge plethysmography is a non-invasive technique that measures variations in capacitance associated with changes in blood volume, recorded through a stretch sensor encircling the neck. Thus, it is ideal to investigate patients because it is not operator-dependent and non-invasive but it can also to be transported in the space in order to understand the modality of brain venous drainage in a microgravitational setting. Our research proposal deals with both aims.
Principal Investigator(s)
Paolo Zamboni, MD, Centro Malattie Vascolari, Italy
Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)
Information Pending
Developer(s)
University of Ferrara, , , Italy
Sponsoring Space Agency
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Sponsoring Organization
Italian Space Agency (ASI)
Research Benefits
Space Exploration, Earth Benefits, Scientific Discovery
ISS Expedition Duration
September 2014 - September 2014
Expeditions Assigned
41/42,43/44
Previous ISS Missions
Information Pending