New research led by a squad from the University of Antwerp has bet at the brains of cosmonauts before and after their six - calendar month outer space military mission and report that prolonged menstruum in microgravity alter the construction of the head . Some changes were still obtrusive seven months after they came back to Earth .
The international squad have MRI scan of 10 male cosmonaut before they went to space followed up with a second scan a few weeks after they return to Earth . In seven cases , they also direct a third scan after several month . As reported in theNew England Journal of Medicine , the team detect a reduction in the volume of grizzly issue throughout the mentality , with special effects in both the orbitofrontal cortex , which is involved in decision qualification , and the temporal cortex , which plays a role in the processing of sensory stimulus and memory formation .
Reductions were also reported in the mental capacity ’s blank affair , the substance that connect unlike areas of gray-haired affair to each other . The team also noticed change in the distribution of the cerebrospinal fluid , which removes waste products and protect the brain . Without gravity , more fluid move to the nous and conglomerate there .
“ Changes fall out in the grey and white matter and cerebrospinal fluid , ” direct author Dr Angelique Van Ombergen aver in a statement . “ And some of those changes stay detectable even seven calendar month after the mission has ended . ”
While grey-headed matter level were standardised to those valuate pre - flight after seven month , the changes to the cerebrospinal fluid persisted . This could potentially explain why astronauts can experience problems with their clarity of vision . The study pore on changes to the structure of the mental capacity but not how these change might affect subroutine . However , they are design to enquire this in more detail and are concerned in working out how long it accept for the brain to return to normal .
“ This is definitely something we want to look into and something which we conceive is also necessary if we want to interpret the exact dynamics over clip , ” Dr Van Ombergen enjoin IFLScience . “ In improver , liberal prospective studies to fully uncover the potential clinical upshot for astronauts are also necessary . Combining e.g. brainpower scans with clinical tests or behavioural data is necessary if we want to full grasp what ’s endure on . ”
The question with most farseeing - duration spaceflight is if the consequences are permanent , is there anything we can do to circumvent them in hereafter ? If we ’re looking at reaching Mars and beyond , we involve to take this into account .
“ One countermeasure that might help is artificial gravity . This is true for several of the space travel - related issue ( for instance ivory and muscular tissue loss and vestibular organisation changes causing dizziness and sickness ) and it might also be a potential risk mitigator for the brain changes we see , " Dr Van Ombergen excuse .
" However , it will have to be get a line whether artificial gravity ( e.g. by using a turn out spaceship ) is potential , as this comes with some issue for the technical side and cost of the developing of spaceships . ”
