How do astronauts' muscles and nerves respond to reduced gravity?
Skeletal muscles are an important part of your musculoskeletal system. They serve a variety of functions. Among the many functions performed by skeletal muscles, one of them is maintaining our posture. On Earth, the musculoskeletal system must support the body’s weight, and the bones and postural muscles are permanently burdened by gravity. But what happens to these muscles when they have no gravity to resist? This question is a topic of interest to many scientists. Recently, a team of scientists from Japan set out to find the answer. They study the response of neuromuscular properties to gravitational unloading and share research-based insights into how astronauts can avoid neuromuscular problems during extended spaceflight. The group explored how the morphological, functional and metabolic properties of the neuromuscular system adapt to reduced anti-gravity activity. Using human and rodent simulation models, they first investigated how afferent and efferent motoneuron activity