Author(s)

Tamara K. Breus, Roman M. Baevskii, Anna G. Chernikova

Institute of Biomedical Problems Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Space Research Institute Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.

Investigations of the effect of geomagnetic activity influence on the heart rhythm regulation of cosmonauts during the expeditions onboard the Soyuz spacecraft, and the MIR orbital space stations was carried out for various durations of flight in weightlessness and, under control of groups of cosmonauts who were inspected under flight conditions outside the geomagnetic disturbances and in ground preflight conditions, during disturbances and without them. The four series of analytical researches in which the data about changes of characteristics of heart rate variability are demonstrated for the first time the presence of specific effect of geomagnetic disturbances on the system of vegetative regulation of blood circulation of cosmonauts during the flight. The response of cosmonauts’ heart rhythm on the magnetic storm is depending on the initial functional background and, in particular, on the state of mechanisms of vegetative regulation (the duration of flight and adaptation to it).

Heart Rhythm Regulation; Cosmonauts; Geomagnetic Activity

Breus, T. , Baevskii, R. and Chernikova, A. (2012) Effects of geomagnetic disturbances on humans functional state in space flight. Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering, 5, 341-355. doi: 10.4236/jbise.2012.56044.