Astronauts Came Back From Space With Scrambled Brains, Study Shows
The Daily Galaxy • • science
Key Points:
- A new study published in PNAS reveals that microgravity causes the brain to shift, stretch, and compress within the skull, affecting balance and motor function in astronauts.
- Researchers at the University of Florida analyzed MRI scans from 26 astronauts before and after long missions aboard the ISS, finding significant upward brain movement and deformation, particularly in the supplementary motor cortex.
- These brain changes correlate with post-mission difficulties in balance and spatial orientation, suggesting that structural shifts contribute to the postural instability observed in returning astronauts.
- Comparison with Earth-based participants undergoing head-down tilt bed rest showed that simulated microgravity causes less pronounced brain shifts, indicating that real microgravity has unique effects on brain structure and function.
- The study underscores the importance
