Radiation In Space May Change Astronauts' Brain Structure "This isn't good news for a future Mars trip

  

Mars astronauts risk brain damage from cosmic rays, say scientists

US researchers exposing mice to streams of high-energy particles similar to galactic cosmic rays discover damage to nervous system affecting cognition. Researchers in the US exposed mice to streams of high energy particles– similar to those found in galactic cosmic rays - and found they produced nervous system damage that caused the animals’ performance to plummet. This is not positive news for astronauts deployed on a two- to three-year round trip to Mars,” said Charles Limoli, a professor of radiation oncology at the University of California, Irvine.
Researchers said on Friday long-term exposure to these rays that permeate space may cause dementia-like cognitive impairments in astronauts during any future return journey to Mars, expected to take at least 2½ years. In a NASA-funded study, mice exposed to highly energetic charged particles like those in galactic cosmic rays experienced declines in cognition and changes in the structure and integrity of brain nerve cells and the synapses where nerve impulses are sent and received. The irradiated particles in galactic cosmic rays, remnants of star explosions called supernovas, can penetrate spacecraft and astronauts' bodies. Earth itself is protected by its magnetosphere. University of California, Irvine radiation oncology professor Charles Limoli said "without a doubt" people would face the same issues as the mice. This could compromise mission-critical activities, especially if unanticipated situations arise during deep spaceflight, Dr Limoli said. The mice, genetically altered to have green fluorescent neurons to help structural analysis, were exposed to the rays at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and then analysed six weeks later..This is not a deal breaker but it represents an issue Nasa needs to prepare for,” Limoli told the Guardian. “It could develop into performance-based decrements and elevated anxiety and affect the ability to problem solve. These effects are likely to be subtle, however, and would not preclude our efforts to plan future manned deep space missions...