Longer Space Flights Could Structurally Affect the Human Brain, Study Reveals

While people are familiar with how being in outer space could affect one's body, scientists still find the extent of such impacts vague. In a recent study, scientists looked into how space mission length and intervals could affect fluids inside the human brain.

Brain Effects of Space Flight Duration and Intervals

Specialists from various institutions in the US, including NASA Johnson Space Center, the University of Florida, among others, have found out how spaceflight boosts the size of ventricles and the volume of brain fluid depending on particular variables. Such factors include time spent in space and intervals between such space journeys, Science Alert reports.

Heather McGregor, a neuroscientist from the University of Florida, and colleagues write in their study published in Scientific Reports that the findings show that the expansion of ventricles goes on with space travels that take longer.

They also state that intervals below three years are not sufficient for these ventricles to fully regain their capacity.

The cerebrospinal fluid kept inside the ventricles aids in cushioning and protecting the brain. These fluids are also linked to washing cellular waste away and transporting vital nutrients from the bloodstream.

Such ventricle size and fluid volume increases have been observed in earlier studies. These were also seen to be accompanied by the brain's upward shift inside the skull in conditions of microgravity.

The researchers of the recent study built on these earlier ones to find out how longer spaceflight could increase the size of ventricles. They utilized the MRI scans of 30 unique astronauts.

Science Alert reports that the swelling of the ventricles is thought to be a compensatory function that operates during spaceflight. It may enable the brain to welcome the cerebrospinal fluid shifts. When astronauts return to Earth, the fluid goes back to being normally distributed.

The researchers note that such mechanisms could demonstrate an adaptive and early structural change during spaceflight that goes back to the baseline as time passes.

Ventricle expansions were found to not be as prominent for seven astronauts who took a less-than-three-year break between space flights. The researchers suggest that this could mean that the brain may have enough time to shrink and rest in order to handle the increase in cerebrospinal fluid.

Scans also revealed that the more space missions done by an astronaut, the less distinguishable the ventricle size increase was post-mission.

The researchers explain that the results suggest that the brain is affected by the cumulative impacts of several flights and possibly several bouts of adjusting to the environment as well as microgravity.

Spaceflight Concern

According to Space.com, Rachel Seidler, a space health researcher from the University of Florida and the study's senior author, explains that the exact long-term consequences of such ventricle expansion still remain a mystery. How it will affect health and performance in the long run is still a question that remains open.

While the study did not dig deeper into the health effects, it clearly reveals brain shifts that happen and are impacted by the frequency and length of missions.

As longer missions to Mars and the Moon are set to launch in the coming years, it is important to know more about what astronauts will be experiencing, especially at a brain level.

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