Astronauts’ brains transform during space missions

Minds change and adapt, both in structure and function, throughout our livesBut this study found that the effects of spaceflight can lead to its own changes.

from here, Astronauts’ brains “rewire” during long spaceflights to help them adapt to the unusual environmentAnd the According to a new study published in magazine Boundaries in neural circuits.

An international team led by Dr University of Antwerp in Belgiumand studied the brains of Russian cosmonauts who were in For an average of 172 days. The results showed Significant changes in the microstructure In the various nerve fibers of the white matter, Like the sensimotor, which is responsible for sensory and motor processing.

The study, funded by the European Space Agency and Roscomos, will form the basis for future research into the full extent of brain changes during space travel.

With human space exploration reaching new heights, such as spending more time in low Earth orbit as well as traveling to the Moon and back to Mars, understanding the effects of spaceflight on the human brain is crucial, the team said. Lead paper author Floris Yates and colleagues investigated Structural changes in the brain after space flight at the level Nerve fibers in the white matter of the deep brain. This is the part of the brain responsible for communication between gray matter and the body, as well as between different gray matter regions.

Briefly, The white matter It is the communication channel in the brain and the gray matter is where information is processed. To study the structure and function of the brain after spaceflight, the researchers used a brain imaging technology called fiber optics. This option provides a type of file brain wiring diagram. “Our study is the first to use this specific method to detect changes in brain structure after spaceflight,” Wittes explained.

This specialist and his team performed diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) scans of 12 male astronauts just before and after their spaceflights. They also collected eight follow-up scans, seven months into the spaceflight. Cosmonauts, who were sent into space by the Russian space agency Roscosmos Long term missionsaveraged 172 days.

Researchers have found evidence of the concept The ‘educated brain’, which is the level of neuroplasticity at which an organ has to adapt to space flights.

“We found changes in the neural connections between the different motor areas of the brainsaid first author Andrei Dorochin of Drexel University. Motor areas are the centers of the brain where movement commands are initiated..

before absence of gravity astronaut needed Radically adapting their movement strategies, compared to Earth. Our study shows that Your brain has been rewiredSo to speakDorochin stated.

Follow-up examinations seven months after their return to Earth revealed that changes from space flight were still visible in the brain. From previous studies, We know that these motor areas show signs of adaptation after spaceflight. Now, we have the first indication that it is also reflected in the level of connections between those regions,” Wuyts said.

The authors also uncover an explanation for the anatomical brain changes seen after spaceflight. “We initially thought we had detected changes in the corpus callosum, which is the central pathway that connects the two hemispheres of the brain,” says Yates’ analysis. The corpus callosum is bordered by the cerebral ventricles, a connected network of fluid-filled chambers, which expand due to space flight.

“The structural changes that we initially found in the corpus callosum are actually caused by the dilation of the ventricles which leads to anatomical changes in the adjacent nervous tissue – the yates -. Where it was initially thought that there were actual structural changes in the brain, we only see the changes in shape. This It puts the results in a different perspective.

The study demonstrates the need to understand how spaceflight affects our bodies, specifically through long-term research on the effects on the human brain. There are current countermeasures for losing muscle and bone mass, such as exercising for at least two hours a day. Future research may provide evidence that countermeasures are necessary for the brain. “These results give us additional pieces to the whole puzzle. Since this research is very groundbreaking, we don’t yet know what the full scenario would look like,” Dorochin continued.

These findings contribute to our general understanding of what goes on in the brains of space travelers. Wittes concluded that it is necessary to continue this type of research and search for brain changes caused by space flights from different points of view and using different techniques.

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