New approaches in the rehabilitation of patients with central nervous system lesions based on the gravitational mechanisms

This review discusses the functioning of the motor system under normal and reduced gravity. Analysis of the experimental data led to the conclusion that all changes in the functioning of tonic muscular system are related to each other. When transiting to the state of microgravity, changes are caused by one common factor, namely a sharp decrease in the activity of support afferent input, specifically oriented to the perception and analysis of gravitational loads and firmly embedded in the mechanisms of postural synergism organization. We analyzed data obtained in studies on the activation of cortical areas of the brain during the stimulation of support afferents in order to test the hypothesis that such stimulation in both healthy subjects and patients with neurologic deficiency leads to activation of both the sensory and motor cortex involved in supraspinal control of the movement of the lower limbs, in particular when walking.