Study finds space travel influences working of brain

Scientists of the University of Antwerp and the University of Liege have found how the human brain changes and adapts to weightlessness, after being in space for 6 months. Some of the changes turned out to be lasting – even after 8 months back on Earth. Raphael Liegeois, soon to be the third Belgian in space, acknowledges the importance of the research, “to prepare the new generation of astronauts for longer missions.” A child who learns not to drop a glass on the floor, or a tennis player predicting the course of an incoming ball to hit it accurately are examples of how the brain incorporates the physical laws of gravity to optimally function on Earth. Astronauts who go to space reside in a weightless environment, where the brain’s rules about gravity are no longer applicable. A new study on brain function in cosmonauts has revealed how the brain’s organization is changed after a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS), demonstrating the adaptation that is required to live in weightlessness. The University of Antwerp has been leading this BRAIN-DTI scientific project through the European Space Agency. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were taken from 14 astronaut brains before and several times after their mission to space. Using a special MRI technique, the researchers collected the astronauts’ brain data in a resting condition, hence without having them engage in a specific task. This resting-state functional MRI technique enabled the researchers to investigate the brain’s default state and to find out whether this changes or not after long-duration spaceflight.