{"id":234845,"date":"2026-01-12T21:38:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/234845\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T21:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:38:07","slug":"astronauts-brains-change-shape-and-position-in-space-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/234845\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronauts’ brains change shape and position in space: study"},"content":{"rendered":"

Astronauts\u2019 brains can change shape and shift positions during stays in space, according to a new study with implications for NASA\u2019s goals to conduct long-duration missions to the moon<\/a> and Mars.<\/p>\n

The study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/a>, found that after spaceflight, astronauts\u2019 brains were tilted upward and shifted up and back in the skull relative to their normal positions on Earth. The affected areas of the brain included sensory-related regions linked to motion sickness, disorientation and loss of balance, the scientists found.<\/p>\n

The research adds to a growing but still nascent field of aerospace medicine focused on the toll that spaceflight and the microgravity environment take on the human body. Such research is crucial for planning long-term missions as NASA looks to build a base on the moon and send astronauts deeper into the solar system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to understand these changes and their impacts to keep astronauts safe and healthy and protect their longevity,\u201d said Rachael Seidler, a professor in the department of applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida and a co-author of the study.<\/p>\n

Seidler and her colleagues analyzed MRI scans from 26 astronauts before and after their time in orbit. The time the participants spent in space ranged from a few weeks (for space shuttle flights) to roughly six months \u2014\u00a0the standard duration for missions aboard the International Space Station<\/a>. A few individuals studied spent extended, yearlong stints at the space station. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who went for a year showed the largest changes,\u201d Seidler said. \u201cThere were still some changes evident in people who went for two weeks, but duration seems to be the driving factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that among astronauts who had stayed in space six months or longer, the upward movement was \u201cpretty extensive,” particularly in structures at the top of the brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s on the order of a couple of millimeters,\u201d she said, \u201cwhich doesn\u2019t sound like a big number, but when you\u2019re talking about brain movement, it really is. That kind of change is visible by eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seidler said the brain changes observed sometimes caused \u201csensory conflicts\u201d for astronauts while in space, manifesting as temporary disorientation or motion sickness. Back on Earth, the shifts can also contribute to balance issues as the astronauts readjust to Earth\u2019s gravity. But she said the study did not find serious symptoms, such as headaches or cognitive impairment, during or after spaceflight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was surprising to me,\u201d Seidler said.<\/p>\n

For comparison, the research team also analyzed brain scans from 24 civilian participants on Earth who were put on bed rest for up to 60 days while tilted back, so that their heads were 6 degrees below their feet. The idea was to simulate a microgravity environment<\/a>, and the scientists found similar changes in brain position and shape after the period of bed rest. The astronauts\u2019 brains experienced greater upward shift, though.<\/p>\n

Dr. Mark Rosenberg, an assistant professor of neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina and the director of its aerospace and performance neurology program, said scientists have known that spaceflight can affect the brain, but Seidler\u2019s study is the first to document how those upward shifts influence how astronauts function in space and back on Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew the brain shifts upward, but does it actually have any kind of operational impact?\u201d said Rosenberg, who was not involved with the study. \u201cThis study is able to make some of those associations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The findings raise new questions for potential follow-up, such as whether there are differences between brain changes among male and female astronauts, and whether a crew member\u2019s age is a factor. Piecing together a complete picture, however, is limited by a sample size problem: Only up to a dozen or so astronauts launch to the International Space Station each year, and NASA\u2019s astronaut corps has historically been dominated by men.<\/p>\n

More research is also needed to understand if the observed brain changes have longer-term impacts.<\/p>\n

So far, like most other changes to astronauts\u2019 bodies after stints in space \u2014 including bone loss<\/a>, deterioration of muscle strength<\/a> and fluid redistribution \u2014 the shifts do not appear to be permanent. After the body readjusts to the familiar tug of Earth\u2019s gravity, things more or less return to normal, Rosenberg said.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not yet known whether different gravity environments will introduce new complications.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve been on Mars with one-third Earth\u2019s gravity, or on the moon with one-sixth Earth\u2019s gravity, will it take three or six times as long to get back to normal?\u201d Rosenberg said.<\/p>\n

He and Seidler both said the findings so far should not be viewed as an argument against humans spending extended periods in space. But it will be critical to figure out if there is any lasting damage and how to avoid it, if possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether we care to admit it or not, we are eventually going to become a space-faring species,\u201d Rosenberg said. \u201cIt\u2019s only a matter of time. And these are just some of the unanswered questions that we need to sort out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Astronauts\u2019 brains can change shape and shift positions during stays in space, according to a new study with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-234845","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}