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There is still a lot we don’t know about the effect of space missions and space flight on the human body; This is what scientists have been trying to study and investigate. Specifically, they want to understand the physiological effects of an extended period in space. And so far, they have discovered some important ideas.
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Scientists say prolonged space missions can cause permanent damage and changes in brain volume
In the study, astronauts who spend most of their time on the International Space Station (ISS) have experienced vision problems. Previous research into this condition has revealed that the cause is inflammation of the optic nerve, structural abnormalities of the eyeballs, and retinal hemorrhage. All of these are considered common ailments. The study also suggests that these effects persist even after returning to Earth.
The main theory about this is what is known as intracranial pressure impairment. Fluids within the human body behave very differently when they are in space. On Earth, gravity pulls all of this fluid down.
On the ISS, these fluids go up, instead. Scientists believe that this can cause more intracranial pressure on astronauts and can completely change their vision.
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Astronauts are being scanned before and after traveling to the ISS
Larry A. Kramer, a physician at the University of Texas Health Science Center and lead author of the study, told the New Atlas that “when you’re in microgravity, fluid like venous blood no longer collects in your lower extremities instead, it is redistributed forward “This movement of fluid towards your head may be one of the mechanisms causing the changes we are observing in the eye and the intracranial compartment.”
Research has been trying to identify these fundamental mechanisms to better understand how they might be linked to changes in the brain’s white matter. The team also MRIed 11 astronauts before traveling to the ISS, and then again after they returned. Scans will be done at various intervals the following year.
Kramer also said: “What we identify that no one has actually identified before is that there is a significant increase in white matter volume in the brain from the previous flight to the subsequent flight. The expansion of white matter, in fact, is responsible for the greater increase in combined brain and cerebrospinal fluid volumes after flight. “
He added that if he and his team can better understand the mechanisms that cause these ventricles to grow in astronauts and even develop adequate countermeasures, then perhaps these findings could also be beneficial for patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus and other related conditions.
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