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Project Title:  Hypovolemia as a model of space flight: cardiovascular exercise effects and countermeasures Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2010 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP HHC:Human Health Countermeasures
Start Date: 06/01/2009  
End Date: 06/30/2010  
Task Last Updated: 08/08/2013 
Download Task Book report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Lee, Stuart M.C. Ph.D. / KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  2400 NASA Parkway 
 
Houston , TX 77058-2749 
Email: stuart.lee-1@nasa.gov 
Phone: 281-483-3726  
Congressional District: 36 
Web:  
Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Co-Investigator(s)
Affiliation: 
Platts, Steven H. Human Adaptations and Countermeasures Office 
Soller, Babs R. University of Massachusetts Medical School 
Key Personnel Changes / Previous PI: Key personnel: Meghan Everett, University of Houston, coordinated exercise laboratory participation. Christine Ribeiro, Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering, coordinated Cardiovascular Laboratory participation. David Martin, Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering, coordinated analysis of echocardiographic data.
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. Directed Research 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor: Norsk, Peter  
Center Contact:  
Peter.norsk@nasa.gov 
Unique ID: 7596 
Solicitation / Funding Source: Directed Research 
Grant/Contract No.: Directed Research 
Project Type: Ground 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: No 
No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:
No. of Master's Candidates:  
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:  
No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:  
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:  
Human Research Program Elements: (1) HHC:Human Health Countermeasures
Human Research Program Risks: (1) Aerobic:Risk of Reduced Physical Performance Capabilities Due to Reduced Aerobic Capacity
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) CV2:What is VO2max in-flight and immediately post-flight?
Flight Assignment/Project Notes: NOTE: End date changed to 6/30/2010, per JSC info (08/2010)

NOTE: End date changed to 05/14/2010 per JSC info; previous end date was 12/15/2009 (2/26/2010)

NOTE: End date changed to 12/15/2009 per JSC info; previous end date was 11/16/09 (11/17/09)

Task Description: Reduced exercise capacity, orthostatic tolerance, and plasma volume are common observances following space flight and bed rest. Dr. Steve Platts of the Johnson Space Center Cardiovascular Laboratory investigated the relationship between orthostatic hypotension and plasma volume by pharmacologically inducing hypovolemia in normal healthy subjects. The Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures (ExPC) Project and the Cardiovascular Discipline sought to extend this work to gain an improved understanding of the factors involved in decreased exercise capacity. Following orthostatic testing in normal and hypovolemic conditions, subjects recruited by Dr. Platts’s team volunteered to perform a graded cycle exercise test to volitional fatigue to determine peak oxygen consumption (VO2pk). Oxygen consumption, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and blood pressure were measured per standard laboratory protocols. Additionally, echocardiographic measures of stroke volume, blood lactate, plasma catecholamines, and peripheral muscle metabolism by near infrared spectroscopy were measured. Data from these testing sessions has been used to assist in understanding the factors associated with reduced exercise capacity after space flight, serve as a basis of comparison for responses to similar tests after space flight and bed rest; and aided in the continued development of near infrared spectroscopy as a non-invasive metabolic measurement system for space flight and extravehicular activities.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits: The primary focus of this project was to determine the contribution of space-flight induced plasma volume loss on post-flight aerobic exercise capacity. Also, as part of this project near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a measure of local tissue oxygenation and an index of metabolism, was assessed an adjunct measure of the response to exercise and for its sensitivity to changes in body fluid status.

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2010 
Task Progress: (Ed. note: updated 8/8/2013; original report 1/4/2011).

The data collection for this project was completed with 12 subjects (8 men, 4 women) participating in exercise testing in both the normovolemic and hypovolemic conditions. In summary, IV furosemide resulted in plasma volume losses in these subjects which were comparable to those observed following long-duration space flight. However, the decrease in aerobic capacity (peak oxygen consumption) was only one half to one third of that observed after space flight. Therefore, space flight-induced decrease in plasma volume contributes to but does not fully explain post-flight reductions in exercise capacity. Because previous reports have suggested that inflight exercise countermeasures can mitigate these losses, other factors related to space flight-induced deconditioning likely contribute to the remaining portion of the post-flight decrease in exercise capacity. A report of these findings was delivered to the Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures Project, and a manuscript is in preparation for potential publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The pharmacological countermeasures portion of this project was canceled before data collection for that arm of the study was initiated. Therefore, there are no exercise tolerance data related to effects of pharmacological interventions for orthostatic intolerance.

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 03/11/2025) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings Lee SMC, Everett ME, Ribeiro LC, Martin DS, Westby CM, Stenger MB, Soller BR, Platts SH. "Pharmacologically-induced hypovolemia as a model of post-space flight aerobic capacity." 18th International Academy of Astronautics Humans in Space Symposium, Houston, TX, April 11-15, 2011.

18th IAA Humans in Space Symposium, Houston, TX, April 11-15, 2011. , Apr-2011

Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings Lee SMC, Everett ME, Crowell JB, Westby CM, Soller BR. "NIRS-derived tissue oxygen saturation and hydrogen ion concentration following bed rest." 58th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, Denver, CO, May 31-June 4, 2011.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2011 May;43(5 Suppl):823. http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000402293.26570.88 , May-2011

Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings Soller BR, Lee SMC, Zou F, Scott P, Ellerby GEC, Everett ME, Crowell JB. "Evaluation of skeletal muscle oxygenation during exercise after bed rest and reconditioning." 18th International Academy of Astronautics Humans in Space Symposium, Houston, TX, April 11-15, 2011.

18th IAA Humans in Space Symposium, Houston, TX, April 11-15, 2011. , Apr-2011

Project Title:  Hypovolemia as a model of space flight: cardiovascular exercise effects and countermeasures Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2009 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP HHC:Human Health Countermeasures
Start Date: 06/01/2009  
End Date: 06/30/2010  
Task Last Updated: 09/01/2009 
Download Task Book report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Lee, Stuart M.C. Ph.D. / KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  2400 NASA Parkway 
 
Houston , TX 77058-2749 
Email: stuart.lee-1@nasa.gov 
Phone: 281-483-3726  
Congressional District: 36 
Web:  
Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. Directed Research 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor: Meck, J@n  
Center Contact: 281-244-5405 
janice.v.meck@nasa.gov 
Unique ID: 7596 
Solicitation / Funding Source: Directed Research 
Grant/Contract No.: Directed Research 
Project Type: Ground 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: No 
No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:  
No. of Master's Candidates:  
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:  
No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:  
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:  
Human Research Program Elements: (1) HHC:Human Health Countermeasures
Human Research Program Risks: (1) Aerobic:Risk of Reduced Physical Performance Capabilities Due to Reduced Aerobic Capacity
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) CV2:What is VO2max in-flight and immediately post-flight?
Flight Assignment/Project Notes: NOTE: End date changed to 6/30/2010, per JSC info (08/2010)

NOTE: End date changed to 05/14/2010 per JSC info; previous end date was 12/15/2009 (2/26/2010)

NOTE: End date changed to 12/15/2009 per JSC info; previous end date was 11/16/09 (11/17/09)

Task Description: Reduced exercise capacity, orthostatic tolerance, and plasma volume are common observances following space flight and bed rest. Dr. Steve Platts of the Johnson Space Center Cardiovascular Laboratory will investigate the relationship between orthostatic hypotension and plasma volume by pharmacologically inducing hypovolemia in 48 normal subjects. The Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures (ExPC) Project and the Cardiovascular Discipline seek to extend this information to understanding the factors involved in decreased exercise capacity. Following orthostatic testing in normal and hypovolemic conditions, subjects recruited by Dr. Platts’ team may volunteer to perform a graded cycle exercise test to volitional fatigue to determine peak oxygen consumption (VO2pk). Oxygen consumption, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and blood pressure will be measured per standard laboratory protocols. Additionally, echocardiographic measures of stroke volume, systolic and diastolic function, blood lactate, plasma catecholamines, and peripheral muscle metabolism by near infrared spectroscopy will be measured. Data from these testing sessions will assist in understanding of the factors associated with reduced exercise capacity after space flight; will serve as a basis of comparison for responses to similar tests after space flight and bed rest; and will aid in the continued development of near infrared spectroscopy as a noninvasive metabolic measurement system for space flight and extravehicular activities.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits:

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2009 
Task Progress: New project for FY2009.

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 03/11/2025) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
 None in FY 2009