Space travel could harm a person's cognitive function.
That's the conclusion reached by scientists from several U.S. universities, who jointly studied the effects of chronic, low dose radiation on mice over six months.
Dr. Charles Limoli and colleagues at the University of California, plus other co-authors at Stanford University, Colorado State University and the Eastern Virginia School of Medicine, exposed mice to high-energy particles more than 24 consecutive weeks.
This accurately reflected the conditions in space - unlike many other previous radiation studies, which relied on short-term, higher dose-rate exposures.
Together, they found that the radiation impaired cellular signaling in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, resulting in learning and memory impairments.
They also observed increased anxiety behaviors, indicating that the radiation also impacted the amygdala.
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As a result, researchers predict that during a deep space mission, approximately one in five astronauts would experience anxiety-like behavior and one in three would experience certain levels of memory impairments.
Additionally, the astronauts may also struggle with decision-making.
These results, they say, highlight the pressing need to develop safety measures to protect the brain from radiation during deep space missions as astronauts prepare to travel to Mars.
'This is not positive news for astronauts deployed on a two-to-three-year round trip to Mars,' Dr Limoli said.
'The space environment poses unique hazards to astronauts. Exposure to these particles can lead to a range of potential central nervous system complications that can occur during and persist long after actual space travel – such as various performance decrements, memory deficits, anxiety, depression and impaired decision-making.
'Many of these adverse consequences to cognition may continue and progress throughout life.'
The results were published in the journal, eNeuro.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
