Astronauts' Brains Are Being Displaced

"The human brain, which is suspended in clear cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull, can also be impacted by the effects of microgravity - in a surprisingly tangible way. As detailed in a new study published by an international team of researchers in the journal PNAS, the brain "shifts upward and backward within the skull following spaceflight, with sensory and motor regions exhibiting the largest shifts.""

"While we are only beginning to understand these health effects, this evidence of brain deformation and displacement could complicate future efforts to explore the cosmos. "The health and human performance implications of these spaceflight-associated brain displacements and deformations require further study to pave the way for safer human space exploration," the researchers wrote. The team analyzed MRI data from 26 astronauts and compared them to a control, MRI data collected during a "long-duration head-down tilt bed rest study.""

Prolonged exposure to microgravity produces multiple physiological effects, including accelerated bone density loss, blood cell destruction, increased ocular pressure, and other conditions. MRI comparisons show the brain shifts upward and backward within the skull after spaceflight, with sensory and motor regions experiencing the largest displacements. The brain's shape also deforms in measurable ways, and some structural changes do not fully revert within six months after return. These alterations can impair balance and walking by disrupting vestibular integration, requiring intensive post-flight readaptation. Evidence of persistent brain displacement and deformation raises concerns for long-duration missions and necessitates further targeted study.

Read at Futurism