Michael Braukus

Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

February 17, 1993
(Phone: 202/358-0872)

Jane Hutchison
Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif.
(Phone: 415/604-9000)

RELEASE: 93-030

NASA STUDY MAY HELP REDUCE LIGHTHEADEDNESS AFTER SPACE

FLIGHT

A study at NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View,

Calif., may lead to improved ways of keeping astronauts from
feeling faint when they stand after returning to Earth from space.

Dr. Joan Vernikos, the study's principal investigator, said a

reduced level of plasma is believed to contribute to this tendency
to feel faint. Plasma is the fluid part of the blood, without
blood cells.

"The primary purpose of this study is to compare the

effectiveness of two procedures that expand plasma volume," said
Vernikos, Chief of Ames' Life Science Division.

"We long have known that expanded plasma volume may be a key
to preventing fainting in people following head-down bed rest and
potentially, in astronauts," she said. Bed rest in a slightly
head-down position simulates many of the physiological effects of
weightlessness.

Vernikos said that without the pull of Earth's gravity,

astronauts experience an upward shift of body fluids. The body
responds to what it perceives as excess fluid and reduces the
amount of circulating fluid volume by excreting more urine.
 Upon return to the normal gravity of Earth, fluids again
shift to the lower extremities. This increases the chance an
astronaut will feel lightheaded immediately after landing, she
said.

By finding reliable and acceptable means of increasing the

plasma volume in volunteers, Vernikos believes much of this
light-headedness can be prevented.

Space Shuttle crews routinely take water and salt tablets

just before re-entry. Vernikos said this is believed to expand
plasma volume in astronauts in space, but it has never been
measured.
- more
- 2-

"We don't know by how much and for how long the expansion of
plasma lasts, especially in the weightless state when the body's
normal response is to excrete excess fluid," she said.

"We also have had promising results with a synthetic steroid

similar to steroids normally found in the body," Vernikos said.
This steroid, which produces the same effect as the salt tablets
and water, may provide a more reliable alternative, particularly
as mission lengths increase. It is used clinically to treat
people who faint or experience sudden bouts of low blood pressure
when they stand, she said.

Her study involves six women and six men ages 30 to 50.
Plasma volume is measured in each person under three conditions:
after taking water and salt tablets, after taking the synthetic
steroid or after no medication.

Two hours after each treatment, the volunteer lies quietly

for 30 minutes. A blood sample is drawn and a dye is injected
into the volunteer, then a second sample is drawn for the
measurement of plasma volume. The volunteer then stands for 15
minutes and additional blood samples are drawn 5 and 15 minutes
after standing. Blood samples will be used to measure the
hormones that regulate sodium and fluids. Blood pressure and
heart rate responses to standing also are measured.

The study will add to the limited data about how women adapt
to space flight. Although women also serve as astronauts, data
from flight and ground-based simulation studies are derived almost
exclusively from men, Vernikos said. "The very few studies that
have included women suggest that they tolerate and adapt to
head-down bedrest as well as men," she said.

Responses to the treatments may vary not only by sex, but

also with the time of day, she added. Vernikos will measure the
effectiveness of both treatments during the day and at night.
"Our purpose is to find the most effective treatment and the
minimum effective dose, with the least side effects, for both
sexes," she said. "It is very important that we have this
information before we test drugs of any kind on astronauts in
space."

Previous studies have shown that all people with a tendency

to faint have some common characteristics, Vernikos said. These
include a higher plasma volume under everyday resting conditions.
In addition, various hormones that constrict blood vessels and
raise blood pressure when the person stands up are less effective
in fainters. After bedrest or space flight, these characteristics
are aggravated. Besides expanding plasma volume, the steroid also
may boost these mechanisms.

Drs. Mary F. Dallman and Lanny Keil of the University of

California, San Francisco, are co-investigators. Dee O'Hara,
Manager of Ames' Human Research Facility, is coordinating the
study.

- end -