期刊论文详细信息
Frontiers in Physiology
Neuroplasticity in F16 fighter jet pilots
Physiology
Steven Laureys1  Steven Jillings2  Floris L. Wuyts2  Angelique Van Ombergen3  Athena Demertzi4  Wilhelmina E. Radstake5  Stefan Sunaert6 
[1] Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, GIGA Institute, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium;Laboratory for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium;Laboratory for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium;Department of Translational Neurosciences—ENT, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium;Physiology of Cognition Lab, GIGA-CRC In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium;Psychology & Neuroscience of Cognition, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium;Radiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK CEN, Mol, Belgium;Translational MRI, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven and University Hospital of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium;
关键词: resting state fMRI;    fighter pilots;    neuroplasticity;    gravity transitions;    brain;    MRI;   
DOI  :  10.3389/fphys.2023.1082166
 received in 2022-10-27, accepted in 2023-01-09,  发布年份 2023
来源: Frontiers
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【 摘 要 】

Exposure to altered g-levels causes unusual sensorimotor demands that must be dealt with by the brain. This study aimed to investigate whether fighter pilots, who are exposed to frequent g-level transitions and high g-levels, show differential functional characteristics compared to matched controls, indicative of neuroplasticity. We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data to assess brain functional connectivity (FC) changes with increasing flight experience in pilots and to assess differences in FC between pilots and controls. We performed whole-brain exploratory and region-of-interest (ROI) analyses, with the right parietal operculum 2 (OP2) and the right angular gyrus (AG) as ROIs. Our results show positive correlations with flight experience in the left inferior and right middle frontal gyri, and in the right temporal pole. Negative correlations were observed in primary sensorimotor regions. We found decreased whole-brain functional connectivity of the left inferior frontal gyrus in fighter pilots compared to controls and this cluster showed decreased functional connectivity with the medial superior frontal gyrus. Functional connectivity increased between the right parietal operculum 2 and the left visual cortex, and between the right and left angular gyrus in pilots compared to controls. These findings suggest altered motor, vestibular, and multisensory processing in the brains of fighter pilots, possibly reflecting coping strategies to altered sensorimotor demands during flight. Altered functional connectivity in frontal areas may reflect adaptive cognitive strategies to cope with challenging conditions during flight. These findings provide novel insights into brain functional characteristics of fighter pilots, which may be of interest to humans traveling to space.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Radstake, Jillings, Laureys, Demertzi, Sunaert, Van Ombergen and Wuyts.

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