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Astronauts brains could be damaged by deep space travel, new study reveals

Published

8 years ago

October 16, 2016

Astronauts brains could be damaged by deep space travel, new study reveals

A new study in rodents has found brain damage and cognitive problems six months after the animals were exposed to space-like radiation at doses similar to what astronauts would encounter.

The findings suggest that space radiation could cause astronauts to suffer from memory problems, anxiety, and impaired judgment.

“This is not a deal-breaker,” says coauthor Charles Limoli, a neurobiologist at the University of California, Irvine. “I do not think that during the course of a trip to Mars and back the astronauts will come back with anything remotely similar to full-blown Alzheimer’s.

But more mild changes, more subtle changes—they would still be concerning, given the level of autonomy astronauts operate under and the amount of work they have to do.”

The work builds on a study from last year that uncovered problems in mouse brains and behavior six weeks after they were exposed to radiation. Now, the team has found that irradiated rodents falter on more learning and memory tests, and that their problems continue over a longer timeframe.

Compared with other rodents, mice that were exposed to radiation become less interested in investigating new toys, or toys moved to new locations in their enclosures. Irradiated rats became less flexible in responding to changes in their environment.The rodents also appeared to be more anxious, preferring to remain sheltered within the covered arm of a maze rather than venturing into more open terrain. They seemed to have trouble unlearning or forgetting stressful associations, Limoli says. The animals could not extinguish their fear.

In humans, this might translate to “elevated stress, anxiety and otherwise disadvantageous responses in unexpected or emergency situations,” the team wrote in their paper, published October 10 in Scientific Reports. Astronauts might also suffer memory problems, or struggle with multitasking and making on-the-spot decisions. “And of course there may be some elevated risk for developing some more advanced dementia once they return to Earth,” Limoli says.

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