Unloaded Minds: How Two Weeks of Unloading Affects Brain and Movement in Lunar Gravity
Official title: Unloaded Minds - How Prolonged Unloading Shapes Human Performance in Lunar Gravity
Run by Karolinska Institutet · NCT07607340 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study tests how two weeks of unloading one leg changes the brain’s movement programs and how well nerves and muscles work together, then sees how movement feels when walking in simulated lunar gravity.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 60 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 24 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Karolinska Institutet Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Huddinge, Stockholm County) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | May 1, 2026 |
| Main results expected | May 31, 2028 |
| Study ends | March 31, 2029 |
| Registry record updated | May 26, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07607340 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults aged 18-60 without contraindications to exercise or MRI who consent to long periods of partial-weight bearing and parabolic flight tasks.
✕Probably not a fit
Individuals with active cardiovascular, neurological, or musculoskeletal diseases or other listed exclusion criteria may not benefit and could be at higher risk.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Healthy adults undergo 14 days of unilateral lower limb suspension to simulate reduced loading. Researchers measure changes in motor engrams, neuromuscular connectivity, and gait before and after unloading. After the unloading period, participants experience lunar gravity during parabolic flight and walk on a treadmill to assess how first weight-bearing steps under partial gravity affect movement control. The protocol combines a spaceflight analogue with continuous compliance monitoring and safety measures, including thromboprophylaxis during unloading. Gait and kinematic data are collected to understand central and peripheral adaptations to unloading and reloading in a near-microgravity environment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, results could improve understanding of how brain and spinal circuits adapt to unloading and partial gravity, informing countermeasures for spaceflight and rehabilitation for impaired motor control.
How similar studies have gone: Prior spaceflight analog studies have shown measurable neuromuscular and gait changes with unloading, but this exact combination with unilateral unloading followed by lunar-gravity gait assessment is novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: \- 18-60 years of age, willing to participate Exclusion Criteria: * high activity level according to the GLTEQ * contraindications to exercise * pregnancy * contraindications to MRI * active cardiovascular disease * cerebrovascular disease including previous stroke * aneurysm (large vessels or intracranial) * pulmonary disease including pulmonary hypertension or COPD * metabolic diseases (including: hyper/hypoparathyroidism, hyper/hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, type 1 or type 2 diabetes) * active inflammatory bowel disease * kidney disease * malignancy * recent steroid treatment (within the past 6 months), or hormone replacement therapy * coagulation disorders * musculoskeletal or neurological diseases * diseases requiring long-term medication, including statin therapy * smoking
Where it's running
-
Karolinska Institutet
Huddinge, Stockholm County, Sweden Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Rodrigo Fernandez Gonzalo, PhD, Research group leader
- Email: rodrigo.fernandez-gonzalo@ki.se
- Phone: +46852483514
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.