Stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflight

Abstract Crewed outer-space missions require adequate motor capacity among astronauts, whose sensorimotor system is disturbed by microgravity. Stressors other than microgravity, e.g., sleep loss, confinement, and high workload, characterize the living experience in space and potentially affect motor...

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Main Authors: Yu Tian, Zhaoran Zhang, Changhua Jiang, Dong Chen, Zhaoxia Liu, Ming Wei, Chunhui Wang, Kunlin Wei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-11-01
Series:npj Microgravity
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-024-00439-8
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author Yu Tian
Zhaoran Zhang
Changhua Jiang
Dong Chen
Zhaoxia Liu
Ming Wei
Chunhui Wang
Kunlin Wei
author_facet Yu Tian
Zhaoran Zhang
Changhua Jiang
Dong Chen
Zhaoxia Liu
Ming Wei
Chunhui Wang
Kunlin Wei
author_sort Yu Tian
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Crewed outer-space missions require adequate motor capacity among astronauts, whose sensorimotor system is disturbed by microgravity. Stressors other than microgravity, e.g., sleep loss, confinement, and high workload, characterize the living experience in space and potentially affect motor performance. However, the evidence of these stressors remains elusive. We recruited twelve taikonauts from the China Space Station to conduct a motor timing task that minimized the effect of microgravity on motor performance. Participants showed a remarkable increase in motor timing variance during spaceflight, compared to their pre- and post-flight performance and that of ground controls. Model-based analysis revealed that their timing deficits were driven by increased central noise instead of impaired motor execution. Our study provides evidence that nonspecific stressors can profoundly affect motor performance during spaceflight.
format Article
id doaj-art-c04974b52b5a46c18b71b4ffcb3087a6
institution OA Journals
issn 2373-8065
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series npj Microgravity
spelling doaj-art-c04974b52b5a46c18b71b4ffcb3087a62025-08-20T02:33:05ZengNature Portfolionpj Microgravity2373-80652024-11-011011810.1038/s41526-024-00439-8Stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflightYu Tian0Zhaoran Zhang1Changhua Jiang2Dong Chen3Zhaoxia Liu4Ming Wei5Chunhui Wang6Kunlin Wei7China Astronaut Research and Training CenterSchool of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking UniversityChina Astronaut Research and Training CenterChina Astronaut Research and Training CenterChina Astronaut Research and Training CenterChina Astronaut Research and Training CenterChina Astronaut Research and Training CenterSchool of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking UniversityAbstract Crewed outer-space missions require adequate motor capacity among astronauts, whose sensorimotor system is disturbed by microgravity. Stressors other than microgravity, e.g., sleep loss, confinement, and high workload, characterize the living experience in space and potentially affect motor performance. However, the evidence of these stressors remains elusive. We recruited twelve taikonauts from the China Space Station to conduct a motor timing task that minimized the effect of microgravity on motor performance. Participants showed a remarkable increase in motor timing variance during spaceflight, compared to their pre- and post-flight performance and that of ground controls. Model-based analysis revealed that their timing deficits were driven by increased central noise instead of impaired motor execution. Our study provides evidence that nonspecific stressors can profoundly affect motor performance during spaceflight.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-024-00439-8
spellingShingle Yu Tian
Zhaoran Zhang
Changhua Jiang
Dong Chen
Zhaoxia Liu
Ming Wei
Chunhui Wang
Kunlin Wei
Stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflight
npj Microgravity
title Stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflight
title_full Stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflight
title_fullStr Stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflight
title_full_unstemmed Stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflight
title_short Stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflight
title_sort stressors affect human motor timing during spaceflight
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-024-00439-8
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