ArticleAnnals of biomedical engineering2022
Change in Lumbar Muscle Size and Composition on MRI with Long-Duration Spaceflight.
Article in Annals of biomedical engineering, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of spaceflight on tissues of the spinal column.Bone reports · 2026Review
- The metabolites for muscle and osteoclast activity are indicators of femoral neck osteoporosis.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Intensive care unit-acquired muscle atrophy and weakness in critical illness: a review of long-term recovery strategies.Acute and critical care · 2025Article
- 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
- Muscle fat infiltration: a narrative review of the magnetic resonance (MR)-based evaluation methods and their clinical applications.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2024Review
- Numerical analysis of blood flow in the abdominal aorta under simulated weightlessness and earth conditions.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Congenital, Acquired, and Trauma-Related Risk Factors for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome-Review of the Literature.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Are Skeletal Muscle Changes during Prolonged Space Flights Similar to Those Experienced by Frail and Sarcopenic Older Adults?Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Prolonged microgravity results in muscle atrophy, especially among the anti-gravity spinal muscles. How individual paravertebral muscle groups change in size and composition with spaceflight needs further exploration. This study investigates lumbar spine musculature changes among six crewmembers on long-duration space missions using non-invasive measurement of muscle changes with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Pre- and post-flight lumbar images were analyzed for changes in cross-sectional area, volume, and fat infiltration of the psoas (PS), quadratus lumborum (QL), and paraspinal [erector spinae and multifidus (ES + MF)] muscles using mixed models. Crewmembers used onboard exercise equipment, including a cycle ergometer (CEVIS), treadmill (T2/COLBERT), and the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED). Correlations were used to assess muscle changes related to exercise modality. There was substantial variability in muscle changes across crewmembers but collectively a significant decrease in paraspinal area (- 9.0 ± 4.8%, p = 0.04) and a significant increase in QL fat infiltration (7.3 ± 4.1%, p = 0.05). More CEVIS time may have protected against PS volume loss (p = 0.05) and PS fat infiltration (p < 0.01), and more ARED usage may have protected against ES + MF volume loss (p = 0.05). Crewmembers using modern onboard exercise equipment may be less susceptible to muscle changes. However, variability between crewmembers and muscle size and quality losses suggest additional research is needed to ensure in-flight countermeasures preserve muscle health.
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Registered trials
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