Calgary researcher part of team studying bed rest for space exploration
April 12 marks the International Day of Human Space Flight, but a Calgary biologist at Mount Royal University is looking into the impacts of exploring the stars through a study being done much closer to the ground.
Dr. Nick Strzalkowski is studying skin sensitivity changes in participants who will spend 60 days in head-down bed rest, all to better understand sensory adaptations that occur during space flight.
He's part of a team that will simulate a microgravity environment to help astronauts adapt to ongoing physiological changes.
"For one, your blood and all the fluids flow towards the head, and so this causes astronauts to have puffy faces. It puts stress on the optic nerve in the eye, the heart loses muscle and they lose blood volume, so there's lots of challenges," he said.
"This is all simulated in the head-down bed rest posture, and also your vestibular system, the sensors in your head telling you about gravity, is also disrupted in space. So, we're thinking that the disruption of the vestibular system is related to the changes in skin feedback that we're seeing."
At the University of Guelph, Strzalkowski obtained his PhD under the supervision of Dr. Leah Bent, who studies neurophysiology and is the primary investigator in this latest project funded by the Canadian Space Agency.
The research itself will be conducted this fall in Cologne, Germany, at the German Aerospace Center in collaboration with NASA.
Twelve participants will spend 88 days at the lab, in which 60 days will be spent lying in bed, mimicking the shift of fluids that the human body experiences in space.
The participants will be divided into groups including a control group that will do nothing, a group that will have muscle electrical stimulation occur on their legs and a proprioception group to which a wobble board will be used to balance and more stimulation will be applied.
"So with these different groups, we're going to look at how those interventions might change how they're flexible or sensitive," Strzalkowski said.
"But this is also part of a much larger international team, where there are dozens of primary investigators measuring everything you can imagine from bone health, muscle health, cognitive function, sleep, gut microbiome and the list goes on."
The work will also involve MRU undergraduate students in data analysis.
While the immediate goal is to help astronauts, Strzalkowski says there are also findings in this research that aim to help those who are bedridden here on Earth.
"The research does spin off and impacts humans back here on Earth, so people may not realize but every day, we're interacting with technology and medical advancements that have come from the space sector."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation is the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Judge raises threat of jail in hush money trial as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
Video captures deadly wrong-way police chase on Highway 401 in Ontario
A new video has surfaced showing a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 moments prior to a fatal crash that killed four people, including an infant and their grandparents.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.