Differences in fighter pilots’ brain connectivity may have implications for space travel
The brains of F16 fighter pilots exhibited distinct differences in motor, vestibular and multisensory processing compared with those of non-pilots and may provide valuable insight into the effects of space travel, according to research.
“By demonstrating that vestibular and visual information is processed differently in pilots compared to non-pilots, we can recommend that pilots are a suitable study group to gain more insight into the brain’s adaptations toward unusual gravitational environments, such as during spaceflight,” Wilhelmina E. Radstake, PhD, of the SCK CEN Belgian Nuclear Research Center, said in a related press release.
In a recent study published in Frontiers in Physiology, Radstake and colleagues used resting-state functional MRI to evaluate differences in functional connectivity between 10 men aged 23 to 32 years who were fighter pilots in the Belgian Air Force and 10 age-matched men who had no flying experience. Participants were also matched by education level and handedness.
Pilots had an average of 1,025 hours of experience flying F-16 fighter jets and had not been exposed to high g-levels within the past 24 hours.
Analyses revealed that pilots with more flight experience had greater Intrinsic Connectivity Contrast (ICC) values in the right middle frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus pars triangularis and right temporal pole, indicating stronger connectivity between these regions and the rest of the brain as flight hours increase.
Conversely, fighter pilots with more hours of flight experience had lower ICC values in the bilateral pre- and postcentral gyri and the paracentral lobule, suggestive of weaker connectivity between these regions and the rest of the brain.
Compared with controls, fighter pilots also had less global connectivity in the left inferior frontal gyrus pars orbitalis, as well as lower functional connectivity in the bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus, according to post-hoc, region-of-interest analyses with the left inferior frontal gyrus cluster as the seed region.
Additional analyses indicated greater connectivity between the right operculum 2 and left visual cortex in fighter pilots vs. controls. The right angular gyrus also positively correlated with the left angular gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex in pilots.
“These results reveal insights to possible adaptation in individuals exposed to altered gravitational forces and may have implications for spaceflight research,” Radstake and colleagues wrote. “This knowledge can be used to eventually fit training programs for fighter pilots to stimulate the desired connectivity/neuroplasticity and help making choices between, for example, training in motion-based flight simulators vs. non-motion-based flight simulators. Likewise, this can be used for optimal training in space crew.”
Reference:
- Brain changes in fighter pilots may cast light on astronauts during space travel. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/979586. Published Feb. 15, 2023. Accessed March 3, 2023.