CARDIAC ATROPHY AND DIASTOLIC DYSFUNCTION DURING AND AFTER LONG-DURATION
SPACEFLIGHT: FUNCTIONAL CONSEQUENCES FOR ORTHOSTATIC INTOLERANCE, EXERCISE
CAPABILITY AND RISK FOR CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIAS (INTEGRATED CARDIOVASCULAR)
Research Area: Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems
Expeditions: 19- 30
Principal Investigator(s): ● Benjamin D. Levine, MD, University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
● Michael W. Bungo, MD, University of Texas Medical School,
Houston, Texas
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Cardiac Atrophy and Diastolic Dysfunction During and After Long-Duration Spaceflight:
Functional Consequences for Orthostatic Intolerance, Exercise Capability, and Risk for Cardiac
Arrhythmias (Integrated Cardiovascular) aims to determine the extent, time course, and clinical
significance of cardiac atrophy (decrease in the size of the heart muscle) associated with long-
duration spaceflight and identify the mechanisms of this atrophy and the functional
consequences for crew members who spend extended periods of time in space.
EARTH BENEFITS
The information obtained from these spaceflight
experiments has relevance for patients after
prolonged confinement to bed rest, or chronic
reduction in physical activity, as well as for
patients with disease processes that alter cardiac
stiffness such as congestive heart failure,
ischemic heart disease, and normal ageing.SPACE BENEFITS
Once the magnitude, time course, and inciting
factors for cardiac atrophy are determined,
effective countermeasures currently being
developed by the investigators in parallel ground-
based experiments may be applied to focus on
maintaining cardiac health during long-duration
spaceflight. Upon completion of these
experiments, a number of important risks for long-duration spaceflight, such as cardiac function
and arrhythmia risk, are deemed as manageable by current preventive measures or clearly
defined for future countermeasure research.
ISS026E015923 – NASA astronaut Catherine
(Cady) Coleman, Expedition 26 flight engineer,
performs tasks in the Kibo Laboratory of the
International Space Station (ISS) while
participating in the ambulatory monitoring portion
of the Integrated Cardiovascular research
experiment.