Prolonged stay in space may lead to brain damage

This is evident from blood tests of five Russian cosmonauts who stayed in the International Space Station for almost six months.

We know that space travel is not without danger. For example, serious health problems are associated with it. It is known that your eyes deteriorate and your muscles and bones can slacken. In addition, cosmic rays cause the gastrointestinal tract to function less well and exposure to it can result in heart failure, stroke or heart attacks. We can now add another rather disturbing ailment. Because prolonged stays in space may also lead to brain damage.

Russian cosmonauts

In the study, the scientists followed five male Russian cosmonauts who traveled to the International Space Station. The ISS is in orbit about 400 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. The mean age of the participants was 49 years. Blood was taken 20 days before departure. They then spent almost six months (an average of 169 days) in space.

brain damage

Once back on Earth, blood samples were taken again; one day, one week and about three weeks after landing, respectively. After analysis, the researchers come to a worrying conclusion. Because they discovered five biomarkers that indicate brain damage.

Biomarkers

These are the biomarkers neurofilament light, glial fibrillary acidic protein, total tau and two amyloid beta proteins. The latter, for example, are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The concentrations of three of the discovered biomarkers – neurofilament light, glial fibrillary acidic protein and the amyloid beta protein Aβ40 – appear to be particularly significantly increased after space stay.

Concrete evidence

The findings imply that a prolonged stay in space could potentially have major adverse effects on our brain. “It is the first time that we have found concrete evidence of brain cell damage after spaceflight,” said researcher Henrik Zetterberg. “This needs to be further explored and prevented as we go into space more often in the future.”

space travel

It is indeed bad news. Because concrete plans are already on the drawing board for manned space missions to the moon and Mars. For example, NASA is building a real space station around the moon that will be permanently occupied by astronauts. Intensive research will be carried out from the space station into our natural satellite. In addition, the station will act as a way station to other places in the solar system and serve as a springboard for future manned missions to Mars.

Delay

But such ambitious space travel may be delayed if the associated health problems turn out to be too serious. “We’ll have to figure out why the brain damage occurs first,” Zetterberg says. “Is it the weightlessness, changes in cerebrospinal fluid, stress factors during launch and landing, or is it caused by something else? Many experimental studies could be done right here on Earth.”

The researchers are currently discussing options for further studies with other scientists. “If we can determine the cause of the brain damage, the biomarkers discovered may also help us determine how best to solve the problem,” concludes Zetterberg.