Astronauts sustain no long-term damage to thinking skills after months in space A new study found that any decline in mental efficiency is temporary Findings from crew on the International Space Station will inform future exploration into deeper space THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- For astronauts who spend months at a time working on the International Space Station (ISS), there's good news. While their bodies and brains are affected by radiation, altered gravity, challenging working situations and sleep loss on these missions, a study of 25 astronauts found no evidence that those conditions damage their thinking skills over the long haul.
"Living and working in space was not associated with widespread cognitive impairment that would be suggestive of significant brain damage," said first author , of NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory. During space deployments, astronauts must perform complex tasks and even small mistakes can have serious consequences. On average, those participating in this study worked six months on the ISS.
Tests of mental skills administered before, during and after their missions did show some changes, but nothing permanent or suggestive of damage to the central nervous system, researchers said. For the study, astronauts took a series of tests to measure speed and accuracy on various mental tasks. They were tested before their mission, during early and late flight, and again at 10 and 30 days after returning to Earth.
In space.