A Long Stay in Space Changes the Interaction of Brain Cells

Experts have found that a long stay on the International Space Station (ISS) significantly changes the way nerve cells in the brain’s white matter interact with each other.

According to research published in the journal Frontiers in Neural Circuits, a team of experts, including those from the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Research University Higher School of Economics, investigated the effects of prolonged stay in space on the structure of the brain and the interaction between certain regions and nerve cells.

The scientists studied the brains of astronauts with magnetic resonance imaging a few days before the flight to the station, immediately after returning to Earth, and 7 months after landing.

Here’s how a long stay in space affects an astronaut’s brain

As a result of the studies on 12 astronauts, it was determined that a long stay in space significantly changed the interconnections of the regions of the brain responsible for the control and initiation of movements.

Experts noticed significant changes in the interaction characteristics of neurons, particularly in the striatum, cerebellum, and white matter of the brain.

Credit: Frontiers

These changes, which remain in part even seven months after landing, are thought to be due to the brain’s adaptation to conditions in space. However, experts do not rule out the possibility that some of the changes may have been caused by random redistribution of fluids in the skull and other physiological consequences of prolonged exposure to gravity.

Andrei Doroshin of Drexel University in the US, who took part in the research, said, “It seems that these changes are due to the fact that astronauts need to adapt quickly to the zero-gravity environment. As a result, the structure of the connections between nerve cells in the brain changes.”

For many years, scientists have been studying the impact of living in space on the health and functioning of the immune system of humans and animals. For example, it was recently found that long spaceflights irreversibly weaken the back muscles and cause rounding of the heart.

Experiments on animals have also shown that the journey to Mars can have negative effects on psychology and mental skills since cosmic rays affect brain cells.