The team imaged the brains of 15 astronauts before and after extended tours of duty on the International Space Station (ISS). They found that in their time away from planet Earth, the fluid-filled spaces along veins and arteries in the brain were altered.
These spaces, known as perivascular space, are integral to a natural system of brain cleansing that occurs during sleep. The network of tubes is known as the glymphatic system – a brain-wide network that clears metabolic proteins that would otherwise build up in the brain. Scientists say this system seems to perform optimally during deep sleep.
“These findings have important implications as we continue space exploration,” said senior author Juan Piantino. “It also forces you to think about some basic fundamental questions of science and how life evolved here on Earth.”
Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure perivascular space in the brains of astronauts prior to their launch and again...