Radiation, absence of gravity, harsh working conditions, lack of sleep, complex tasks and an environment where a small mistake can have devastating consequences. In space, astronauts face difficulties that can compromise their cognitive performance, but until now little was known about the degree of impact. A new study carried out with 25 crew members who spent an average of six months on the International Space Station (ISS) has concluded that they ‘think slower’ up there but do not suffer any significant cognitive impairment.
US researchers examined changes in a wide range of domains of cognitive performance, a data set that constitutes the largest such sample of professional astronauts published to date.
“We have shown that there is no evidence of any significant cognitive impairment or neurodegenerative impairment in the astronauts who spent six months on the ISS,” says Sheena Dev, a researcher at NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory and first author of the published study. this wednesday in ‘Frontiers in Physiology’. “Living and working in space was not associated with widespread cognitive impairment that could indicate significant brain damage.”
Processing speed
The astronauts underwent a series of tests developed to assess a variety of cognitive domains. For each of these tests, the researchers measured speed and accuracy at five times: before the mission, at the beginning and end of the flight respectively, as well as 10 and 30 days after landing.
The results showed that responses to tasks assessing processing speed, working memory and attention were slower than on Earth, but were no less accurate. However, these changes did not persist equally for long. “For example, the slowest performance in attention was only observed early in the mission, while the slowest performance in processing speed did not return to baseline levels until after the mission ended and the crew returned to space.” Earth,” says Dev.
Overall, the astronauts’ cognitive performance was stable and the researchers found no evidence suggesting damage to the central nervous system during a six-month space mission.
Data for future space missions
The results showed that some cognitive domains were more likely to be affected than others. “Even on Earth, processing speed, working memory and attention can show temporary changes when a person is under stress. Other domains, such as memory, are less vulnerable to stressors. For example, if you’re having a busy day but didn’t get much sleep the night before, you may feel like it’s hard to pay attention or that you need more time to complete tasks,” explains Dev.
Astronauts are also exposed to these stressors, but additional ones that are unique to space also have an effect. “We discovered that the most vulnerable areas while astronauts are on board the ISS are the same ones that are most susceptible to stressors on Earth,” says the researcher.
The researchers said their study can help them understand what changes in cognitive performance might be expected when humans move into extreme environments. However, what the study did not show is why these changes occurred. It was also not proposed to evaluate whether the operational performance of the astronauts was affected. “It could be that even in areas where declines were observed, astronauts were still able to compensate and complete their tasks effectively,” Dev notes.
According to the researchers, once astronauts start traveling deeper into space (to the Moon or Mars, for example), this low-Earth orbit data can also provide a comparison that can help more quickly detect cognitive changes caused by increased radiation exposure and prolonged communication delays.
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