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Persistent deterioration of visuospatial performance in spaceflight

Although human adaptation to spaceflight has been studied for decades, little is known about its long-term effects on brain and behavior. The present study investigated visuospatial performance and associated electrophysiological responses in astronauts before, during, and after an approximately hal...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Takács, Endre, Barkaszi, Irén, Czigler, István, Pató, Lívia Gabriella, Altbäcker, Anna, McIntyre, Joseph, Cheron, Guy, Balázs, László
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Nature Publishing Group UK 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8100295/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33953237
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88938-6
Descripción
Sumario:Although human adaptation to spaceflight has been studied for decades, little is known about its long-term effects on brain and behavior. The present study investigated visuospatial performance and associated electrophysiological responses in astronauts before, during, and after an approximately half-year long mission to the International Space Station. Here we report findings demonstrating that cognitive performance can suffer marked decrements during spaceflight. Astronauts were slower and more error-prone on orbit than on Earth, while event-related brain potentials reflected diminished attentional resources. Our study is the first to provide evidence for impaired performance during both the initial (~ 8 days) and later (~ 50 days) stages of spaceflight, without any signs of adaptation. Results indicate restricted adaptability to spaceflight conditions and calls for new research prior to deep space explorations.