Space travel influences the way the brain works

Date:
February 17, 2023
Source:
University of Liege
Summary:
Scientists have found how the human brain changes and adapts to
weightlessness, after being in space for 6 months. Some of the
changes turned out to be lasting -- even after 8 months back
on Earth.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Scientists of the University of Antwerp and University of Lie`ge have
found how the human brain changes and adapts to weightlessness, after
being in space for 6 months. Some of the changes turned out to be lasting
-- even after 8 months back on Earth. Raphae"l Lie'geois, soon to be
the third Belgian in space, acknowledges the importance of the research,
"to prepare the new generation of astronauts for longer missions."

==========================================================================
A child who learns not to drop a glass on the floor, or a tennis player predicting the course of an incoming ball to hit it accurately are
examples of how the brain incorporates the physical laws of gravity
to optimally function on Earth. Astronauts who go to space reside in
a weightless environment, where the brain's rules about gravity are
no longer applicable. A new study on brain function in cosmonauts has
revealed how the brain's organization is changed after a six-month mission
to the International Space Station (ISS), demonstrating the adaptation
that is required to live in weightlessness.

The University of Antwerp has been leading this BRAIN-DTI scientific
project through the European Space Agency. Magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) data were taken from 14 astronaut brains before and several
times after their mission to space. Using a special MRI technique, the researchers collected the astronauts' brain data in a resting condition,
hence without having them engage in a specific task. This resting-state functional MRI technique enabled the researchers to investigate the
brain's default state and to find out whether this changes or not after long-duration spaceflight.

Learning effect In collaboration with the University of Lie`ge,
recent analyses of the brain's activity at rest revealed how functional connectivity, a marker of how activity in some brain areas is correlated
with the activity in others, changes in specific regions.

"We found that connectivity was altered after spaceflight in regions
which support the integration of different types of information, rather
than dealing with only one type each time, such as visual, auditory, or movement information', say Steven Jillings and Floris Wuyts (University
of Antwerp).

"Moreover, we found that some of these altered communication patterns were retained throughout 8 months of being back on Earth. At the same time,
some brain changes returned to the level of how the areas were functioning before the space mission." Both scenarios of changes are plausible:
retained changes in brain communication may indicate a learning effect,
while transient changes may indicate more acute adaptation to changed
gravity levels.

"This dataset is so special as their participants themselves. Back in
2016, we were historically the first to show how spaceflight may affect
brain function on a single cosmonaut. Some years later we are now in a
unique position to investigate the brains of more astronauts, several
times. Therefore, we are deciphering the potential of the human brain
all the more in confidence," says Dr. Athena Demertzi (GIGA Institute, University of Lie`ge), co-supervisor of this this work.

New generation of astronauts "Understanding physiological and
behavioral changes triggered by weightlessness is key to plan human
space exploration. Therefore, mapping changes of brain function using neuroimaging techniques as done in this work is an important step to
prepare the new generation of astronauts for longer missions," comments Raphae"l Lie'geois, Doctor of Engineering Science (ULie`ge) with a Thesis
in the field of Neuroscience, future ESA Astronaut.

The researchers are excited with the results, though they know it is
only the first step in pursuing our understanding of brain communication changes after space travel. For example, we still need to investigate
what the exact behavioural consequence is for these brain communication changes, we need to understand whether longer time spent in outer space
might influence these observations, and whether brain characteristics
may be helpful in selecting future astronauts or monitoring them during
and after space travel.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Mind_&_Brain
# Brain-Computer_Interfaces # Brain_Injury # Intelligence
# Neuroscience
o Space_&_Time
# Space_Station # Space_Probes # Space_Exploration # NASA
* RELATED_TERMS
o Charon_(moon) o Space_observatory o
Comet_Hale-Bopp o Aggression o Lunar_space_elevator
o Compton_Gamma_Ray_Observatory o Space_exploration o
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========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Liege. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Steven Jillings, Ekaterina Pechenkova, Elena Tomilovskaya, Ilya
Rukavishnikov, Ben Jeurissen, Angelique Van Ombergen, Inna Nosikova,
Alena Rumshiskaya, Liudmila Litvinova, Jitka Annen, Chloe"
De Laet, Catho Schoenmaekers, Jan Sijbers, Victor Petrovichev,
Stefan Sunaert, Paul M.

Parizel, Valentin Sinitsyn, Peter zu Eulenburg, Steven Laureys,
Athena Demertzi, Floris L. Wuyts. Prolonged microgravity
induces reversible and persistent changes on human cerebral
connectivity. Communications Biology, 2023; 6 (1) DOI:
10.1038/s42003-022-04382-w ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230217103939.htm

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