An international collaboration studying the physiological and anatomical cerebral effects of carbon dioxide during head-down tilt bed rest: the SPACECOT study

Abstract

Exposure to the microgravity environment results in various adaptive and maladaptive physiological changes in the human body, with notable ophthalmic abnormalities developing during 6-mo missions on the International Space Station (ISS). These findings have led to the hypothesis that the loss of gravity induces a cephalad fluid shift, decreased cerebral venous outflow, and increased intracranial pressure, which may be further exacerbated by increased ambient carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels on the ISS. Here we describe the SPACECOT study (studying the physiological and anatomical cerebral effects of CO₂ during head-down tilt), a randomized, double-blind crossover design study with two conditions: 29 h of 12° head-down tilt (HDT) with ambient air and 29 h of 12° HDT with 0.5% CO₂ The internationally collaborative SPACECOT study utilized an innovative approach to study the effects of headward fluid shifting induced by 12° HDT and increased ambient CO₂ as well as their interaction with a focus on cerebral and ocular anatomy and physiology. Here we provide an in-depth overview of this new approach including the subjects, study design, and implementation, as well as the standardization plan for nutritional intake, environmental parameters, and bed rest procedures.NEW & NOTEWORTHY A new approach for investigating the combined effects of cephalad fluid shifting and increased ambient carbon dioxide (CO₂) is presented. This may be useful for studying the neuroophthalmic and cerebral effects of spaceflight where cephalad fluid shifts occur in an elevated CO₂ environment.

Keywords: analog; intracranial pressure; microgravity; spaceflight; visual impairment.