Unlike 'Top Gun', real-life fighter pilots are careful thinkers in the air. Learning how their brains change could assist astronauts with critical mission decisions, a new study says.
The F-16, also called the Fighting Falcon in the U.S., is a single-engine jet fighter now built by Lockheed Martin Corp. The F-16A single-seater first flew in December 1976 and the first operational version of that jet was delivered in January 1979, according toThe aircraft is known for having a deeper seat angle than other jets so that the pilots may withstand up to nine times the force of, the USAF says,"which exceeds the capability of other current fighter aircraft.
The study, which examined 10 Belgian pilots who have flown F-16s, suggested brain connectivity changes as pilots accrue flight hours. An example is sensorimotor information, or how the body makes sense of the environment through the senses, inner ear and limb position. Extreme conditions in military flight, meaning G-loads and maneuvers, likely account for these changes.
Experienced pilots, the study authors said, show more connectivity in the frontal lobe of the brain; that refers to a cerebral zone associated with behavior and voluntary movement. Pilots also process vestibular and visual information more quickly, with experience. This brain alteration may be due to forced prioritization in the air to focus on what is required in combat or high-speed conditions, such as reading cockpit instruments.
But the study authors do point to potential avenues of follow-up research, given that past studies concerning spaceflight and astronaut training suggest the brain may change in structure and function to adapt to off-"Understanding these changes could help us to better prepare astronauts for long journeys, which is crucial if we are ever to reach other planets," the press release stated.
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