Astronauts’ brains change shape in spaceMRIs taken before and after missions show that astronauts’ brains compress and expand in space.
Astronauts’ brains change shape during spaceflight, according to a study published in Nature Microgravity in December 2016. MRIs of the brains of 26 astronauts taken before and after missions show that their brains compress and expand in space. The longer the astronaut spent in space, the more pronounced the changes were, the researchers said. The University of Michigan researchers examined structural MRIs in 12 astronauts who spent two weeks as shuttle crew members, and 14 who spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS). All of them experienced increases and decreases in gray matter in different parts of the brain. But the more time the astronaut spent in space, the more pronounced the brain changes. Rachael Seidler is professor of kinesiology and psychology at the University of Michigan. She said in a statement:
The researchers also found increases in gray matter volume in regions that control leg movement and process sensory information from legs, which they say might reflect changes related to the brain learning how to move in microgravity. These changes were greater in Space Station astronauts because their brains were learning and adapting around the clock. Seidler said:
Bottom line: According to a University of Michigan study, astronauts’ brains change shape during spaceflight. MRIs taken before and after missions show that astronauts’ brains compress and expand in space. Read more from the University of Michigan
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