Could deep space cause BRAIN DAMAGE? Radiation could permanently destroy an astronaut's attention span
- Rats were exposed to radiation levels similar to that found in deep space
- Serious lapses in attention occurred in 64% of the sensitive animals
- Increase in impulsiveness took place in 45% and slower reaction in 27%
- Difference based on a rat's specific resilience after exposure to radiation
same proves true in humans, scientists could identify those more
susceptible to radiation before the brain becomes permanently damaged
Going to space can mess with your head.
Not only do you suffer the psychological effects of isolation, but new research suggests radiation exposure can significantly damage the brain.
Scientists believe this could prove fatal on future missions to deep space, with astronauts suffering from slower reaction times and major lapses in attention.
The kind of radiation astronauts would be exposed to in deep space causes brain damage in some rats, a study has revealed. Dr Robert Hienz said: 'If the same proves true in humans. we can identify those more susceptible to radiation's effects'. Pictured is an artist's impression of neurons in the brain
Researchers came to the conclusion after exposing rats to high-energy particles that simulate the conditions astronauts could experience in deep space.
After exposure, a team at John Hopkins University in Maryland made the rats perform a fitness test similar to the ones astronauts, pilots, and soldiers have to take prior to a mission.
In one such test, an astronaut sees a blank screen on a handheld device and is instructed to tap the screen when an LED counter lights up. The normal reaction time should be less than 300 milliseconds.
The rats in the experiment were similarly taught to touch a light-up key with their noses and are then tested to see how quickly they react.
‘In our radiated rats, we found that 40 to 45 percent had these attention-related deficits, while the rest were seemingly unaffected,’ said study leader Dr Robert Hienz.
Currently, astronauts are not as exposed to the damaging effects of radiation because the International Space Station flies in an orbit low enough that the Earth's magnetic field continues to provide protection. Pictured is astronaut Rick Mastracchio on a recent spacewalk around the ISS
ARE ASTRONAUTS AT GREAT RISK OF DISEASE WHILE IN SPACE?
The effects of zero gravity on our muscles, bones and joints have been extensively studied.
But while living in space is known to weaken our immune system, no one is sure how our cells are affected in the long-term by prolonged exposure to a weightless environment.
Now a new ISS experiment will seek to answer that very question, and it could provide us with important information on the risk of spaceflight to astronauts.
Known as the Cellbox Mission, the experiment was carried to the International Space Station (ISS) by SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.The experiment contains a cargo of immune cells.
In zero gravity, various immune system functions are known to be impaired.
In particular phagocytes, cells that protect our body from harmful foreign bodies, are unable to work properly.
A research team is currently studying the structure and metabolism of these phagocytes while they are on the ISS.
‘If the same proves true in humans and we can identify those more susceptible to radiation’s effects before they are harmfully exposed, we may be able to mitigate the damage.’
the test, the rats’ heads were exposed to varying levels of radiation.
Once the rats returned to Johns Hopkins, they were tested on their
reaction times every day for 250 days.
The radiation-sensitive animals all showed evidence of brain damage that began at 50 to 60 days after exposure.
Lapses in attention occurred in 64 per cent of the sensitive animals, an increase in impulsive behaviour took place in 45 per cent and slower reaction times occurred in 27 per cent.
But researchers found that the impairments were not dependent on radiation dose. The difference comes down to an individual's resilience after exposure to radiation
Catherine Davis, a postdoctoral fellow at the University said she wouldn’t want to see radiation-sensitive astronauts kept from future missions to the Moon or Mars.
However, she would want those astronauts to be prepared to take special precautions to protect their brains, such as wearing extra shielding or not performing space walks.
Currently, astronauts are not as exposed to the damaging effects of radiation because the International Space Station flies in an orbit low enough that the Earth’s magnetic field continues to provide protection.
But several years ago brain scans of Nasa astronauts who spent more than a month in space revealed damage to their eyeballs and brain tissue.
Space radiation (shown here in green) could prove fatal on future missions to deep space, with astronauts suffering from slower reaction times and major lapses in attention as a result of exposure to it
The researchers used MRI scans to examine the eyes and brains of 27 astronauts, and found examples of brain damage caused by exposure to the micro-gravity of space.
This ranged from a flattening and bulging of the eyeball to damage to the connections between the brain and the pituitary gland - one of the key glands governing bodily functions.
With humans adapted over millions of years for living within the pressure of Earth's atmosphere and gravity, it is unsurprising that space plays havoc with our systems.
In fact, with astronaut bodies trapped between conflicting gravity fields, lower gravity, and centrifugal forces, probably the most surprising fact is that our bodies can endure space at all.
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