Posture and Locomotion

Gravity affects the human body in numerous ways. This chapter reviews recent findings on how the nervous system governs muscle forces to control upright posture and locomotion in varying gravity conditions. With an emphasis on gravity conditions below Earth gravitation, three major aspects for the control of stance and gait are presented for short-term and long-term adaptation: the integration of sensory feedback via spinal and supraspinal circuitries to command the neuromuscular system governing the movement and the biomechanical output which defines the quality of these motor skills. Numerous experiments executed in space flight or simulation studies frame the content of this chapter that contains the sub-themes: posture control and locomotion.

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