Researchers studying the brains of 12 cosmonauts have discovered ¡®significant microstructural changes¡¯ in the white matter that manages communications between the brain and the rest of the body.?
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Reported first by ScienceAlert, University of Antwerp researchers generated the data via diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) scans taken just before and right after they went into space and stayed there for an average of 172 days. Scans were further carried out seven months later and even though some changes went back to the original, some were still present.?
The team specifically discovered changes in the neural tracts related to sensory and motor functions which they feel has occurred due to the astronaut¡¯s adaptation to microgravity.?
This is the first time, a brain imaging technique dubbed fibre tractography has been used in relation to the effects of spaceflight. The technique builds up a 3D picture of neuron tracts that show how the brain is wired.?
Even though previous studies have highlighted changes in the brains of astronauts, using fibre tractography, researchers were able to take a sharper look at the actual connections between neurons and how they shifted.?
Researchers initially thought they had discovered changes in the corpus callosum (also known as the bridge that connects both hemispheres of the brain), but a closer analysis revealed they were seeing an expansion of the brain¡¯s ventricles.
Neuroscientist Floris Wuyts, from the University of Antwerp in Belgium, explained, "The structural changes we initially found in the corpus callosum are actually caused by the dilation of the ventricles that induce anatomical shifts of the adjacent neural tissue. Where initially it was thought that there are real structural changes in the brain, we only observe shape changes. This puts the findings in a different perspective."
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The changes in the wiring of the brain isn't unusual as its transforming ability allows us to learn new things, develop new memories etc. Researchers however, don¡¯t really know if it had a positive or a negative impact.?
Wuyts added, "These findings give us additional pieces of the entire puzzle. Since this research is so pioneering, we don't know how the whole puzzle will look yet. These results contribute to our overall understanding of what's going on in the brains of space travellers. It is crucial to maintain this line of research, looking for spaceflight induced brain changes from different perspectives and using different techniques.¡±?
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