A review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long-duration space exploration
Abstract During spaceflight, the central nervous system (CNS) is exposed to a complex array of environmental stressors. However, the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the CNS and the resulting impact to crew health and operational performance remain largely unknown. In this review, we summariz...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2021-02-01
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| Series: | npj Microgravity |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-021-00133-z |
| _version_ | 1797641743976366080 |
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| author | Meaghan Roy-O’Reilly Ajitkumar Mulavara Thomas Williams |
| author_facet | Meaghan Roy-O’Reilly Ajitkumar Mulavara Thomas Williams |
| author_sort | Meaghan Roy-O’Reilly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract During spaceflight, the central nervous system (CNS) is exposed to a complex array of environmental stressors. However, the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the CNS and the resulting impact to crew health and operational performance remain largely unknown. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding spaceflight-associated changes to the brain as measured by magnetic resonance imaging, particularly as they relate to mission duration. Numerous studies have reported macrostructural changes to the brain after spaceflight, including alterations in brain position, tissue volumes and cerebrospinal fluid distribution and dynamics. Changes in brain tissue microstructure and connectivity were also described, involving regions related to vestibular, cerebellar, visual, motor, somatosensory and cognitive function. Several alterations were also associated with exposure to analogs of spaceflight, providing evidence that brain changes likely result from cumulative exposure to multiple independent environmental stressors. Whereas several studies noted that changes to the brain become more pronounced with increasing mission duration, it remains unclear if these changes represent compensatory phenomena or maladaptive dysregulations. Future work is needed to understand how spaceflight-associated changes to the brain affect crew health and performance, with the goal of developing comprehensive monitoring and countermeasure strategies for future long-duration space exploration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:50:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4941a94120884486bcb5bd3a7de0b330 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2373-8065 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T13:50:02Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Microgravity |
| spelling | doaj.art-4941a94120884486bcb5bd3a7de0b3302023-11-02T09:21:14ZengNature Portfolionpj Microgravity2373-80652021-02-01711910.1038/s41526-021-00133-zA review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long-duration space explorationMeaghan Roy-O’Reilly0Ajitkumar Mulavara1Thomas Williams2Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health Science CenterKBRNational Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space CenterAbstract During spaceflight, the central nervous system (CNS) is exposed to a complex array of environmental stressors. However, the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the CNS and the resulting impact to crew health and operational performance remain largely unknown. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding spaceflight-associated changes to the brain as measured by magnetic resonance imaging, particularly as they relate to mission duration. Numerous studies have reported macrostructural changes to the brain after spaceflight, including alterations in brain position, tissue volumes and cerebrospinal fluid distribution and dynamics. Changes in brain tissue microstructure and connectivity were also described, involving regions related to vestibular, cerebellar, visual, motor, somatosensory and cognitive function. Several alterations were also associated with exposure to analogs of spaceflight, providing evidence that brain changes likely result from cumulative exposure to multiple independent environmental stressors. Whereas several studies noted that changes to the brain become more pronounced with increasing mission duration, it remains unclear if these changes represent compensatory phenomena or maladaptive dysregulations. Future work is needed to understand how spaceflight-associated changes to the brain affect crew health and performance, with the goal of developing comprehensive monitoring and countermeasure strategies for future long-duration space exploration.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-021-00133-z |
| spellingShingle | Meaghan Roy-O’Reilly Ajitkumar Mulavara Thomas Williams A review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long-duration space exploration npj Microgravity |
| title | A review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long-duration space exploration |
| title_full | A review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long-duration space exploration |
| title_fullStr | A review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long-duration space exploration |
| title_full_unstemmed | A review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long-duration space exploration |
| title_short | A review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long-duration space exploration |
| title_sort | review of alterations to the brain during spaceflight and the potential relevance to crew in long duration space exploration |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-021-00133-z |
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