Muscle loading begins, however, even before birth as the unborn infant begins kicking against its mother's womb. The mammalian studies on Neurolab will help answer this intriguing question, and at the same time, for example, increase our understanding of the impact of premature birth on the muscle development in infants. The young rats will take their first steps in space. These are two old and puzzling questions. The gravity system of crickets serves as a model to investigate the general effects of altered gravitational conditions on the development of the structure, function and efficiency of a gravity sensory system.
Insects offer useful model systems because their central neurons can be easily identified.
It is a spectacular, but highly scientific, endeavour that will be of great benefit to humanity. The neurobiology experiments will reveal much about how the nervous system develops in microgravity. Neuronal Plasticity Team Experiments on vestibular adaptation will yield a better understanding of balance disorders, which affect more than 90 million Americans. Experiments on circadian rhythms could yield valuable data to researchers seeking the causes of jet lag, insomnia and mental disorders such as winter depression. This data is also applicable to aging populations and shift workers, both of whom experience changes in circadian rhythms.