The latest evaluation of
microgravity's warping effect on our biology focuses on the spaces surrounding the blood vessels that weave through our brain
Researchers from across the US
compared a series of MRI scans of 15 astronaut brains taken prior to a six-month stay on the International Space Station, and up to six months after their return
Using algorithms to carefully assess
the sizes of perivascular spaces the team found time spent in orbit had a profound effect on the brain's plumbing. For the first-timers, at least.
Among the pool of veteran astronauts,
there appeared to be little difference in the sizes of perivascular spaces in the two scans taken prior to the mission and the four taken after.
The findings might not be
there appeared to be little difference in the sizes of perivascular spaces in the two scans taken prior to the mission and the four taken after.
Previous studies on brain
tissues and their fluid volumes have found they're slow to recover from a stint in space, with some changes persisting for a year or more.
Right now, astronauts rarely
make more than a few trips into space in their lifetime, typically hanging around for roughly six months at a time.