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health1d ago
Astronauts’ brains shift in space, with changes lingering after return to Earth, study finds
- Long-duration spaceflight causes measurable upward and backward shifts of the brain inside the skull, increasing with mission length.
- Some brain changes persist for months after astronauts return from space.
- A larger upward displacement was observed in the supplementary motor cortex after year-long missions.
- Brain movement correlates with balance declines after spaceflight, linked to the posterior insula.
- Most brain changes reversed within six months, though some persisted longer in long-duration flyers.
- Researchers emphasize the findings are not a warning against long-term spaceflight, noting reversibility overall.
- The study analyzed MRI data from astronauts with missions ranging from shuttle flights to nearly a year in orbit.
- A ground-based bed rest study on Earth provided a comparison group for spaceflight effects.
- Researchers highlight potential implications for future Moon and Mars missions.
- Israeli space medicine physician Dr. Eran Shankar notes the brain changes are not limited to fluid shifts.
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