Long duration space flight is known to induce severe modifications in the sensorimotor and musculoskeletal systems. While in-flight strategies including physical fitness have been used to prevent the loss of bone and muscle mass using appropriate rehabilitative countermeasures, less attention has been put forth in the design of technologies that can quickly and effectively assess sensorimotor function during missions in space. The aims of the present study were therefore (1) to develop a Portable Sensorimotor Assessment Platform (PSAP) to enable a crewmember to independently and quickly assess his/her sensorimotor function during the NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) and (2) to investigate changes in performance of static posture, tandem gait, and lower limb ataxia due to exposure in an extreme environment. Our data reveal that measuring the degree of upper body balance and gait regularity during tandem walking using PSAP provided a sensitive and objective quantification of body movement abnormalities due to changes in sensorimotor performance over the duration of mission exposure.

众所周知，长时间的太空飞行会引起感觉运动和肌肉骨骼系统的严重改变。虽然包括身体健康在内的飞行策略已被用于通过适当的康复对策来防止骨骼和肌肉质量的损失，但在太空任务期间能够快速有效地评估感觉运动功能的技术设计方面却很少受到关注。因此，本研究的目的是（1）开发便携式感觉运动评估平台（PSAP），使机组人员能够在 NASA 极端环境任务操作（NEEMO）期间独立快速地评估他/她的感觉运动功能，以及（2）研究由于暴露在极端环境中而导致的静态姿势、串联步态和下肢共济失调的表现变化。我们的数据表明，使用 PSAP 测量双人步行期间的上半身平衡和步态规律性程度，可以对由于任务暴露期间感觉运动性能变化而导致的身体运动异常进行敏感和客观的量化。