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Long Spaceflights Could Exert Pressure on Brain: Study

Web Desk(November 2, 2017): The brains of astronauts who spend months in space appear to shift upward inside their skulls by the time they return to Earth, a new study finds.

It’s not clear how quickly the brain might settle back into its rightful place once Earth’s gravity has taken hold, said Dr. Donna Roberts.

But one concern is this: If the brain moves upward, it could compress a major vein that drains blood from the head possibly increasing pressure within the skull.

And in fact, it’s already known that some astronauts have returned from the International Space Station with vision problems.

Specifically, what might happen to the human brain during deeper space travel? That’s a possibility in the not-too-distant future, as NASA has laid out plans for getting humans to Mars by the 2030s.

The researchers were able to look for certain structural changes in a subgroup of 18 astronauts. It turned out that all 12 space station astronauts showed an upward shift in the brain, versus none of the six who’d returned from a short-term mission.

Similarly, the space station astronauts were much more likely to show a narrowing in the cerebrospinal fluid spaces at the top of the brain.

Astronauts have, of course, been traveling to and from space for decades. And scientists have long studied the effects on the heart, bones and other body systems, Roberts said.

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