The cerebral condition related to long-term space flight requires more attention and data

The cerebral condition related to long-term space flight requires more attention and data

Press release
From: Medical University of South Carolina
Posted: Thursday, 24 January 2019

Today, more people are ready to explore the space than ever before; those who will suffer the effects of microgravity on the human body. Recognizing the need for more data on these effects, neuroradiologist Donna Roberts, MD, of the Medical University of South Carolina, and co-author, Lonnie G. Petersen, MD, Ph.D. University of California San Diego, published "The study of hydrocephalus badociated with long-term space flight (HALS) offers new information on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid," in JAMA NeurologyOnline publication of January 23rd.

Roberts, who had previously published an innovative research study on the subject in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2017, and Petersen remains concerned about the lack of data describing the adaptation of the human brain to microgravity and advocates for Further research on long-term space flight hydrocephalus (HALS).

"Exposure to the space environment has permanent effects on humans that we simply do not understand. What astronauts experience in space must be mitigated in order to make the journey in the air." 39, safer space for the public, "Roberts said. "Just like in Stanley Kubrick's" 2001: Space Odyssey, "HALS may constitute a normal response of the brain to spaceflights.Otherwise, HALS may prove to be harmful and countermeasures will need to be developed to protect the brain health of long-term astronauts and space explorers ".

Previous discoveries by Roberts and his team have shown significant changes in brain structure during a long-term space flight, with the frontal and parietal lobes (responsible for body movements and upper executive functions) being most affected. The longer an astronaut stayed in space, the worse the symptoms. Its recent JAMA publication recalls the urgency of the HALS study, private space exploration companies planning trips to Mars, and NASA's Mars Expedition scheduled for 2033. In this article, Roberts and Petersen explain that HALS is not suitable. in any of the related but different clinical states involving cerebrospinal fluid observed on Earth. The ALS cause remains unknown and, for Roberts and Petersen, understanding of this condition is of paramount importance for the safety of human space travel.

"We know that these long-haul flights are wreaking havoc among astronauts and cosmonauts, but we do not know if the damaging effects on the body continue to progress or stabilize after a while in the air." Space, "said Roberts. "We need to know if HALS represents an adaptive response or a pathological process that needs to be mitigated, perhaps by simulated gravity." All of our astronauts should be tested and studied to monitor what's going on in their brains before and immediately following a space flight, short-term monitoring and surveillance.The HALS study will provide new information on the effects of gravitational stress on the brain and will improve our understanding not only of this phenomenon, but also of similar brain fluid disorders here on earth. "

// end //

More press releases and status reports or reports.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.