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Parabolic Flight Induced Neuroplasticity Studied With Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Methods

NCT02517216 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 27

Last updated 2015-08-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Weightlessness profoundly modifies many physiological systems and especially the nervous system and the vestibular system. The changes in the nervous system are based in part on brain plasticity mechanisms, that is to say on modifications of neurons and their connections. They are the source of some of the behavioral response observed in the parabolic flight or in astronauts. For example, it is commonly observed that in the second and third days of parabolic flight campaigns with 3 flights, fewer participants are prone to motion sickness during the first day. Similarly, during their first trip into space, astronauts suffer 2/3 for 2 or 3 days of space sickness - special form of motion sickness - while this proportion is much lower in the second trip.

The hypothesis of this study is that short-term weightlessness as well as changes in the level of gravity experienced during parabolic flights, induce neuroplascity phenomena in brain regions involved in the integration of vestibular, visual and proprioceptive.

The goal is to objectify these plasticity phenomena, and assess their changes over time, using methods of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). A standard MRI will give an anatomical image of the brain. For this study, a variant called diffusion MRI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging - DTI) will visualize nerve bundles and their journey in the brain. The total duration of this review will be about ¾ hour.

The results of this study will be compared with those of an ongoing study of 12 astronauts who have the same MRI scans taken before and after a trip to the International Space Station. Investigators can then evaluate the effect of duration of exposure to weightlessness on the phenomena of neuroplasticity.

Conditions

  • Healthy

Interventions

OTHER

parabolic flight

DEVICE

MRI

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University Hospital, Caen

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
21 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2014-02-28
Primary Completion
2017-04-30

Countries

  • France

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02517216 on ClinicalTrials.gov