Although we know that space missions can lead to muscle atrophy and reduced bone density, the effects on tissues in the human brain are still a mystery. A study led by researchers at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich and the University of Antwerp tried to bring more light to the subject. Scientists have used magnetic resonance tomography to analyze the brains of ten cosmonauts from the International Space Station (SSI).
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Crew members were scanned before and shortly after their long-term stay in the space lab, and seven of them were screened and seven months after returning to Earth.
Researchers have stated that this is the first study in which it was possible to quantify objectively the changes taking place in the brain structures after the space mission. It is also the first to include a wider tracking period.
After the astronauts returned to Earth, the researchers found that the volume of their gray matter had dropped in comparison with the initial measurements. Over the seven months after the return, the effect began to disappear, although it was still detectable even after that time.
On the other hand, the volume of cerebrospinal fluid in the cortex has increased after a long-term spatial journey. While the volume in the inner cavities of the brain returned to near-normal levels after the astronauts returned to Earth, growth could still be seen in the outer cavities. But after another examination after six months, both have returned to levels close to the usual one. The evidence suggests that long-term space missions can cause slow replacement of white matter with cerebrospinal fluid. In addition, it was identified a reduction in astronaut vision, which could be the result of increased pressure on the retina caused by the same fluid.