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Impacts of Spaceflight Experience on Human Brain Structure

View ORCID ProfileHeather R. McGregor, View ORCID ProfileKathleen E. Hupfeld, Ofer Pasternak, Nichole E. Beltran, Yiri E. De Dios, Jacob J. Bloomberg, Scott J. Wood, Ajitkumar P. Mulavara, Roy F. Riascos, Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz, View ORCID ProfileRachael D. Seidler
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.09.479297
Heather R. McGregor
1Dept of Applied Physiology Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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  • ORCID record for Heather R. McGregor
Kathleen E. Hupfeld
1Dept of Applied Physiology Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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Ofer Pasternak
2Dept of Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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Nichole E. Beltran
3KBR, Houston, TX
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Yiri E. De Dios
3KBR, Houston, TX
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Jacob J. Bloomberg
4NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
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Scott J. Wood
5Retired, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
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Ajitkumar P. Mulavara
3KBR, Houston, TX
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Roy F. Riascos
6University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX
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Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz
7Dept of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
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Rachael D. Seidler
1Dept of Applied Physiology Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
8Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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  • For correspondence: rachaelseidler@ufl.edu
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Abstract

Spaceflight induces widespread changes in human brain morphology. It is unclear if these brain changes differ with varying mission durations or one’s history of spaceflight experience (e.g., number of prior missions, time between missions). Here we addressed this issue by quantifying voxelwise post-flight changes in gray matter volume, white matter microstructure, extracellular free water (FW), and ventricular volume in a sample of 28 astronauts. We found that longer missions induced greater ventricular expansion and larger FW displacement at the top of the brain. A greater number of prior missions was associated with white matter microstructure declines in a tract supporting voluntary leg movement. Longer inter-mission intervals were associated with greater ventricle expansion, with compensatory ventricular expansion observed only in those crewmembers with inter-missions intervals of 3 years or longer. Longer missions therefore induce more extensive brain fluid shifts, and the ventricles may require at least 3 years to recover post-flight.

Competing Interest Statement

YED, NEB, APM are employed by KBR. The other authors declare no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • Funding National Aeronautics and Space Administration grant #NNX11AR02G (RDS, AM, SJW, JJB)

    Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada postdoctoral fellowship (HRM)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Human Research Program augmentation grant (HRM)

    National Institute on Aging fellowship 1F99AG068440 (KEH)

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted February 10, 2022.
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Impacts of Spaceflight Experience on Human Brain Structure
Heather R. McGregor, Kathleen E. Hupfeld, Ofer Pasternak, Nichole E. Beltran, Yiri E. De Dios, Jacob J. Bloomberg, Scott J. Wood, Ajitkumar P. Mulavara, Roy F. Riascos, Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz, Rachael D. Seidler
bioRxiv 2022.02.09.479297; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.09.479297
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Impacts of Spaceflight Experience on Human Brain Structure
Heather R. McGregor, Kathleen E. Hupfeld, Ofer Pasternak, Nichole E. Beltran, Yiri E. De Dios, Jacob J. Bloomberg, Scott J. Wood, Ajitkumar P. Mulavara, Roy F. Riascos, Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz, Rachael D. Seidler
bioRxiv 2022.02.09.479297; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.09.479297

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