ArticleNPJ microgravity2018
Sarcolab pilot study into skeletal muscle's adaptation to long-term spaceflight.
Article in NPJ microgravity, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 49 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- In Vitro Models of Cell Senescence: A Systematic Review on Musculoskeletal Tissues and Cells.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Gene Ontology (GO)-Driven Inference of Candidate Proteomic Markers Associated with Muscle Atrophy Conditions.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Pooled it
- A Resistive Soft Robotic Exosuit for Dynamic Body Loading in Hypogravity.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Trial
- Daily 30-min exposure to artificial gravity during 60 days of bed rest does not maintain aerobic exercise capacity but mitigates some deteriorations of muscle function: results from the AGBRESA RCT.European journal of applied physiology · 2021Trial
- ATHLETIC: An exoskeleton countermeasure exercise device for resistive and plyometric training in deep-space missions.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Isometric training at longer muscle-tendon complex lengths: A potential countermeasure to impaired neuro-muscle-tendon function during space travel.Experimental physiology · 2026Review
- Microgravity-induced changes in skeletal muscle and possible countermeasures: What we can learn from bed rest and human space studies.Experimental physiology · 2026Review
- Comparison of musculoskeletal responses and its variability after long-term spaceflight and prolonged bed rest conditions.NPJ microgravity · 2026Article
- Muscle Weakness and the Irisin-BDNF and Oxidative Stress Axis in the 60-Day Pseudorandomised Controlled AGBRESA Bed Rest Study.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026Article
- Adjuvant pharmacological strategies for the musculoskeletal system during long-term space missions.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Review
- Proteograph™-based proteome and sphingolipidome analyses identified novel serum biomarkers to monitor astronauts' health in spaceflight.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Integrative focus on the space exposome-integrome: physiological challenges and practical limits of countermeasures beyond low Earth orbit.NPJ microgravity · 2025Review
- Implications and Applications of Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy in Therapy, Rehabilitation and Athletic Training-An Outlook to Future Potential Applications.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Article
- Aging and Altered Gravity: A Cellular Perspective.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025Review
- Preliminary considerations for accessible space missions for all.NPJ microgravity · 2025Review
- Variability in individual musculoskeletal response is not increased by countermeasures during bed rest.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Myonuclear and satellite cell content of the vastus lateralis and soleus with 70 days of simulated microgravity and the NASA SPRINT exercise program.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2025Article
- Advancing insights into microgravity induced muscle changes using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism.NPJ microgravity · 2024Review
- Spaceflight on the ISS changed the skeletal muscle proteome of two astronauts.NPJ microgravity · 2024Article
- NASA SPRINT exercise program efficacy for vastus lateralis and soleus skeletal muscle health during 70 days of simulated microgravity.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
18 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Spaceflight causes muscle wasting. The Sarcolab pilot study investigated two astronauts with regards to plantar flexor muscle size, architecture, and function, and to the underlying molecular adaptations in order to further the understanding of muscular responses to spaceflight and exercise countermeasures. Two crew members (A and B) spent 6 months in space. Crew member A trained less vigorously than B. Postflight, A showed substantial decrements in plantar flexor volume, muscle architecture, in strength and in fiber contractility, which was strongly mitigated in B. The difference between these crew members closely reflected FAK-Y397 abundance, a molecular marker of muscle's loading history. Moreover, crew member A showed downregulation of contractile proteins and enzymes of anaerobic metabolism, as well as of systemic markers of energy and protein metabolism. However, both crew members exhibited decrements in muscular aerobic metabolism and phosphate high energy transfer. We conclude that countermeasures can be effective, particularly when resistive forces are of sufficient magnitude. However, to fully prevent space-related muscular deterioration, intersubject variability must be understood, and intensive exercise countermeasures programs seem mandatory. Finally, proteomic and metabolomic analyses suggest that exercise benefits in space may go beyond mere maintenance of muscle mass, but rather extend to the level of organismic metabolism.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.