Overview

The Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Laboratory of Michael J. Cevette, Ph.D., and Jan Stepanek, M.D., M.P.H., at Mayo Clinic investigates the exposure of humans to high and extreme altitudes, acceleration and spatial disorientation.

Our lab also studies the ability to influence and enhance spatial orientation with galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). Our research encompasses the mitigation of motion and simulator sickness, which has broad relevance in flight simulation.

Drs. Cevette and Stepanek use a variety of research tools to study the vestibular system, including:

  • Rotary chair to record involuntary eye movements (nystagmus)
  • Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) to assess influences on standing balance
  • Multiaxis rotation in a dynamic computer-driven chair system to assess integration of vision and vestibular inputs during head movement
  • A novel computerized recording tool for the perception of movement
  • High-definition video camera systems with infrared capability and eye-tracking system

Tools for investigating parameters of relevance for acceleration tolerance in a centrifuge environment include:

  • Noninvasive central blood pressure recording via applanation tonometry
  • Noninvasive peripheral blood pressure recording via photoplethysmographic methods, including relevant hemodynamic parameters, such as cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance

Our lab also uses these tools to enhance the efficiency of the anti-G straining maneuver (M-1, L-1) and to assess the impact of a G-suit on relevant hemodynamic parameters.

To investigate the high-altitude environment, the Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Lab uses these methods:

  • Oximetry
  • Capnography
  • Mixed gas high-altitude simulation systems

About the principal investigators

The Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Lab is based at Mayo Clinic's campus in Arizona under the leadership of Drs. Cevette and Stepanek, the principal investigators. Dr. Cevette is an audiologist at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale and a professor of audiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Dr. Stepanek is an aerospace medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale and an associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.