Реферат: Space travel impacts brain function and induces fluid shifts, enlarged ventricles, and changes in grey matter. Equally, functional connectivity (FC) is altered in areas like the posterior cingulate cortex and angular gyrus, affecting sensory processing. Research shows neuroplastic connectivity between these regions, with increased activation in the left AG linked to higher arithmetic proficiency. Monitoring numerical cognition, which involves both domain-specific and domain-general functions associated with the left angular gyrus (AG) and intra-parietal sulcus (IPS), is crucial for astronauts. The aim of this study is to: 1) explore how brain functional connectivity relates to numerical cognition performance in cosmonauts, 2) identify potential neural adaptations, and 3) reveal connections to broader cognitive functions. This will offer insights into brain function in microgravity and help enhance astronaut safety during space missions. Using resting-state fMRI, we analyzed brain FC changes that correlated with performance in a calculation task including Reaction Time (RT) and error rate in 13 cosmonauts (13 male; mean age 45.6, MAD=3.4) before and after long-duration spaceflight. Whole-brain exploratory (intrinsic connectivity contrast; ICC) and seed-based connectivity (SBC) analyses were done of regions associated with numerical cognition, comprising 1) the left angular gyrus (AG) subdivided in the posterior part (pAG) and the anterior part (aAG), and 2) bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS) subdivided in hIP1, hIP2 and hIP3. The behavioral analysis revealed significant improvements postflight, with decreased reaction time (RT) (p = .003) and reduced error rate (p = .028). Correlation analysis of ICC differences identified significant clusters: a positive correlation in the right postcentral gyrus and a negative one in the left posterior insula. Seed-based connectivity (SBC) analyses found that higher functional connectivity between the left angular gyrus (AG) and right posterior orbital gyrus (POG) was associated with faster RTs (see fig). Additionally, higher connectivity between the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and the postcentral gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus was linked to lower error rates. These findings suggest adaptive brain processes related to numerical cognition and indicate potential neural biomarkers of the cognitive challenges for astronauts during spaceflight, enhancing our understanding of spaceflight's impact on brain functionality and performance.

Библиографическая ссылка: Wuyts F. , Deblieck C. , Dubessy G. , Jillings S. , Mortaheb S. , Schoenmaekers C. , Gushin V. , Nosikova I. , Tomilovskaya E. , Rukavishnikov I. , Pechenkova E.
IMPACT OF SPACEFLIGHT ON COSMONAUTS' NUMERICAL COGNITION AND ITS NEUROIMAGING UNDERPINNINGS
NASA Human Research Program Investigators 28-31 Jan 2025