Long-Term Space Flight 'Squeezes' the Brain (<em>CNN</em>)

CSF increases, brain shifts upward

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Long-term spaceflight puts the squeeze on astronauts' brains, affecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain positioning in the cranium, CNN reported.

CSF increases and the brain shifts upward. MRI scans before and after spaceflight revealed the changes in virtually every astronaut. The observations came from evaluations of 34 astronauts, 18 of whom spent an average of 165 days in space and 13 who had shorter-term exposure to zero gravity, averaging about 13 days. The effects of spaceflight on the brain warrant careful follow-up.

"We hypothesize that upward brain shift and expansion of tissue along the top of the brain may in result in compression of adjacent venous structures along the top of the head," said Donna Roberts, MD, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. "While we cannot prove it yet, we suspect that this may ultimately result in a decrease in the outflow of (cerebrospinal fluid) and blood from the head."