Produced by: Tarun Mishra
A recent study involving 25 astronauts who spent an average of six months on the International Space Station (ISS) has examined how extended space missions affect cognitive performance, marking the largest dataset of its kind published to date.
According to Dr. Sheena Dev, a researcher at NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory, the study found no significant cognitive impairment or signs of neurodegenerative decline among astronauts after their missions, suggesting no widespread brain damage from space travel.
Astronauts underwent a series of tests measuring various cognitive domains, including processing speed, working memory, and attention. These tests were conducted at five time points: before the mission, during early and late flight, and 10 and 30 days after landing on Earth.
The results revealed that astronauts' processing speed and attention were slower while in space, but their accuracy in completing tasks remained unaffected. The changes in performance were temporary and did not persist after returning to Earth.
The study noted that cognitive domains like attention and processing speed were more susceptible to changes in space, similar to how stressors on Earth can temporarily affect these areas. However, memory and other cognitive functions appeared less impacted.
The research showed that slower performance was most noticeable in attention tasks early in the mission, while processing speed did not return to baseline until after the astronauts returned to Earth.
Credit: NASA
While the study identified changes in cognitive performance, it did not investigate the causes of these changes. The researchers also did not assess whether the astronauts' operational performance was affected by slower cognitive processing.
The findings offer valuable insights for future deep space missions, such as to the Moon or Mars. The data can help track cognitive changes caused by longer radiation exposure and communication delays, providing a useful comparison to missions conducted in low Earth orbit.