Abstract
In the last decades exercise in space has mainly been used to counteract musculoskeletal and cardiovascular deconditioning. This is in accordance with the mainstream approach of exercise science to preserve and restore physical health. Today we know that exercise holds an additional dimension, affecting not only the peripheral physiological system but also enhancing neurocognitve performance and affective state. As a result medical interest in exercise as a countermeasure to mood changes and neurocognitive function has recently emerged. Special attention was given to alterations in brain cortical activity caused by exercise. These modifications are supposed to act as a multifunctional generator for the adaptation of mood, vigilance and cognitive performance.
This chapter is dedicated to psycho-physiological effects of exercise in space. The aim is to show that exercise in space means more than staying physically fit. Exercise in space can also help to improve mood, enhance neurocognitive function and therefore increase crew performance.
By reviewing a series of recent research activities from our own lab, this chapter likes to draw attention to the fact that exercise can be regarded as a holistic approach to regulate a multitude of psycho-physiological processes occurring in space during long-term confinement. Of course it is easy to translate these findings into everyday life. Living in microgravity, living in space is a very feasible analogue for a sedentary life-style. Accordingly ideas and content of this chapter will not only help to improve mission success and mission safety while living in space, but might also contribute to the discussion about an active life style and its relevance for socio-economic and health-political decisions of the upcoming years.
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- 1.
One might even hypothesize, although longitudinal studies have not been performed yet, that cardiovascular function might benefit from missing gravity as heart rate is permanently decreased (Verheyden et al. 2010)
- 2.
A localisation of brain cortical activity was made possible by low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography, a software based solution offered as academic freeware by the KEY Institute for Brain-Mind Research at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, (http://www.uzh.ch/keyinst/loreta), that enables the three dimensional localisation of brain cortical activity by using standardised EEG recordings. By subdividing the EEG in its standardised frequency bands alpha and beta it becomes possible to see which part of the brain is active/inactive. Although the spatial resolution is limited (in this study we used a minimum of 32 electrodes for localising brain activity), this approach combines the simple and economic EEG recording with the possibility to record and localise brain cortical activity even in experimental setups that do not allow for standardised brain imaging like positron emission tomography (PET) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), either due to space and economic restrictions or methodical limitations as the application in weightlessness (Schneider et al. 2008a).
- 3.
To give an example: For long years a fundamental problem of physical education in school was that the benefit of exercise was neither highlighted nor identified. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s physical education concentrated on a merit principle. Just in the recent years, with increasing health problems caused by a lack of physical activity (e.g. cardiovascular disease, diabetes), the curriculum of physical education started to promote a physical active lifestyle that will be carried into adulthood in order to prevent degenerative diseases caused by an absence of physical exercise (Pediatrics 2000)
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Schneider, S., Vogt, T., Abeln, V. (2015). Exercise in Space: Physical and Mental Benefit. In: Kanosue, K., Nagami, T., Tsuchiya, J. (eds) Sports Performance. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55315-1_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55315-1_19
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