Does ambient noise or hypobaric atmosphere influence olfactory and gustatory function?

Multidimensional food perception is based mainly on gustatory and olfactory function. Recent research has demonstrated that hypobaric pressure impairs gustatory function and that background noise or distracting auditory stimulation impairs olfactory function. Using a hypobaric chamber, the odor identification, discrimination, and thresholds as well as taste identification and threshold scores were measured in 16 healthy male volunteers under normal and hypobaric (6380 ft) conditions using clinically validated tests.

Hypergravity and dehydration-induced shifts of interstitial fluid in the skin monitored by ultrasound.

Introduction: Spaceflight is associated with a shift of interstitial fluid toward the skin of the head and a fluid loss that can decrease superficial tissue thickness (TT). To collect the physiological data needed to develop techniques for monitoring the hydration status of astronauts during spaceflight, we investigated the changes in TT induced by a 12-h nil-by-mouth period and a 30-min period of +2 Gz hypergravity measured at forehead and tibia.

Methods: There were 16 male volunteers who were twice subjected to 30 min of +2 Gz acceleration in a human centrifuge, once following an oral fluid load of 250 ml x h(-1) (procedure A), and once following a nil-by-mouth period of 12 h (procedure B).