The human body is made to work according to the conditions we have on Earth, which is why astronauts experience a series of effects when they leave the atmosphere and face changes in gravity.
A research analyzed the effects of space travel on the brain of astronauts and the results are quite interesting, especially in times when it is studied to install the first human colonies outside our planet.
The effect of space travel on the brain
Leave planet Earth and expose not only gravitational differences but also radiation and sudden changes in the environment affect the body of astronauts, but until now no one had investigated how they influence their brains.
A scientific research team from the University of Michigan, in the United States, studied the brains of 26 astronauts through magnetic resonances taken before and after their trip and the results are surprising.
The studied astronauts traveled to space in missions of different duration between 2008 and 2012. Twelve of them spent two weeks in a space rocket and the other fourteen spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS).
The two groups of astronauts showed a decrease in the volume of gray matter in the brain, which was greater in those who spent more time in outer space.
The gray matter corresponds to cells of the nervous system that are found in the spinal cord and the peripheral area of ??the brain and is vital when controlling functions such as muscle, emotional, memory and sensory perception.
Why does gray matter decrease when traveling to space?
The neuroscientists who carried out the research compared the images of the resonances taken to the astronauts before and after traveling to space and although they noticed that the gray matter decreased that does not mean that the brain is damaged.
The images showed that in some areas the gray matter decreased and in others increased its concentration, being those who spent six months in the International Space Station the main harmed ones.
Scientists believe that these changes are due to the brain's ability to adapt to a microgravity environment in which all function requires extra effort or at least a modification in the way stimuli and commands are processed.
The gray matter is not necessarily lost, but is redistributed so that the brain can perform its functions as best as possible in a different environment being an example of brain neuroplasticity.
Researchers must now find out whether the changes the brain suffered after traveling into space affect the cognitive functioning of astronauts and, although at first glance no changes are recorded, it is still necessary to do more complex tests.