Presentation
Interactive Effects of Vestibular Impairment and Mental Fatigue on Fine Motor Coordination in Spaceflight Analogs
DescriptionAstronauts rely on precise fine motor coordination for critical tasks such as docking maneuvers, robotic arm operation, and equipment handling, which can be affected by vestibular impairment and mental fatigue during and after spaceflight. This study investigated the interactive effects of these stressors using Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) and a two-hour 2-back task as analogs for vestibular disruption and cognitive fatigue, respectively. Twenty-four right-handed participants completed the Purdue Pegboard and finger-to-nose tasks before and after fatigue induction, under normal and GVS conditions. Performance was measured by the number of pegs inserted, key presses, and timing between successive movements. While fatigue induction was confirmed via psychomotor vigilance test and sleepiness scores, fine motor performance unexpectedly improved post-fatigue in the finger-to-nose task, potentially due to learning effects, partial fatigue recovery, or compensatory motor strategies. GVS slowed finger-to-nose responses and increased variability, though pegboard performance remained unaffected. A notable sex x GVS interaction revealed reduced key presses in females, suggesting possible sex-specific adaptation mechanisms. These findings indicate that fine motor performance may be preserved or even enhanced under combined stressors, possibly through adaptive reorganization. Future work will explore underlying neural and kinematic mechanisms, supporting countermeasure development for mission-critical tasks under spaceflight conditions.
Event Type
Industry/Practitioner Content
Lecture
TimeThursday, October 16th3:20pm - 3:40pm CDT
LocationGrand Hall I
Aerospace Systems
Perception and Performance