The Impact of 6 and 12 Months in Space on Human Brain Structure and Intracranial Fluid Shifts.

ABSTRACT: As plans develop for Mars missions, it is important to understand how long-duration spaceflight impacts brain health. Here we report how 12-month (n = 2 astronauts) versus 6-month (n = 10 astronauts) missions impact brain structure and fluid shifts. We collected MRI scans once before flight and four times after flight. Astronauts served as their own controls; we evaluated pre- to postflight changes and return toward preflight levels across the 4 postflight points. We also provide data to illustrate typical brain changes over 7 years in a reference dataset. Twelve months in space generally resulted in larger changes across multiple brain areas compared with 6-month missions and aging, particularly for fluid shifts. The majority of changes returned to preflight levels by 6 mont

SUBMITTER: Hupfeld KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7446230 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature