Structural changes are taking placeSpecialists from the University of Antwerp in Belgium, as part of a joint study by the European Space Agency and Roscosmos, have studied what changes occur in the brain of astronauts after being in space. Discuss
The researchers obtained diffusion MRI images of 12 male astronauts before and immediately after space flights. There were also 8 follow-up scans 7 months after the flight. All astronauts have been on long-duration flights for an average of 172 days.
To study the structure and function of the brain after spaceflight, scientists used a brain imaging technique called fiber tractography. It turned out that structural changes occur in the white matter of the brain, which is responsible for the connection between gray matter and the body, as well as between different areas of gray matter. White matter is the brain's communication channel, and gray matter is the place where information is processed.
It's all connected to motor areas – the centers of the brain where commands for movement are launched. Changes in them occur, probably due to weightlessness, when the astronaut needs to drastically adapt his propulsion strategies compared to the Earth. That is, the brain is rebuilt.
It is noted that the fiber tractography method helped to detect all changes. “Fiber tractography provides a kind of brain wiring diagram. Our study is the first to use this specific method to detect changes in brain structure after spaceflight,” said study leader Dr. Floris Wuyts.
Source: Neuroscience