Cosmic rays pose a challenge to travel the planet … – LaCapital.com.ar

Scientists concluded that long space voyages may impair cognitive ability of astronauts and cause damage similar to Alzheimer due to these particles.

Prolonged exposure to galactic cosmic rays can permanently impair cognitive ability, a finding that has serious implications for astronauts embarking on future space travel long lasting.

NASA is preparing for the first manned space mission to Mars, but researchers say that during long space flights the brain of an astronaut is besieged by destructive particles that are ejected from galactic cosmic rays and passing through the spacecraft. Scientists are working on partial or preventive solutions to address this problem treatments, but still have a way to go.

The professor of radiation oncology medical school of the University of California, Charles Limoli, led a study published in Science Advances on the issue and said “is not good news for astronauts who make a round trip to Mars for two or three years.”

The exposure to highly energetic charged particles, very similar to those found in cosmic rays that bombard astronauts during long space flights, causing significant damage to the central nervous system, leading to a deterioration cognitive.

Decreases performance, memory deficits, loss of consciousness and attention are problems “during a space flight could affect the fundamental activities of the mission,” said the doctor.

In addition, prolonged exposure to these particles over time can have long-term negative consequences for cognition throughout life, he said. Limoli and his team accelerated the same types of charged particles that exist in galactic cosmic rays and exposed them briefly, mice genetically altered to be fluorescent neurons.

So, they found that exposure to these particles caused inflammation in the brains of rodents, which alter the communication between neurons, and a lower performance in tasks related to learning and memory occur. The particles hit “like a bullet” in the dendrites (very short extensions arising from the body of neurons) to be broken, says the study, which notes that the loss of dendrites is related to cognitive impairment diseases like evil Alzheimer.

The test results showed that the mice that had been exposed to radiation suffered from curiosity, were less active and showed confused more easily than others. The study authors warn that if the changes observed in mice occur in astronauts “their response to unexpected situations, their capacity for spatial reasoning and remembering information may be affected.”

The astronauts living long term on the International Space Station will not suffer the same level of “bombing” of cosmic rays because they are within the Earth’s magnetosphere, which protects them.

As a solution, at least part of the problem, said Limoli could design a spaceship to areas where there was a reinforced armor, like those used for rest and sleep.