Deep-Space Missions Can Cause 'Cognitive Deficits' in Astronauts

The first astronauts who set foot on the moon were quarantined for three weeks when they returned to Earth. Scientists weren't sure what kinds of lunar germs they might have brought back with them.

That level of caution may sound absurd today, but a new study shows trips to outer space can still mess with astronauts on a physiological level.

New research from Johns Hopkins finds that long-term deep space missions can alter brain proteins and cause cognitive deficits like lapses in attention and slower reaction times. Researchers came to this conclusion by exposing rats to high-energy particles that simulate the conditions that astronauts would experience in deep space, then running them through a series of tests that mimic the fitness assessments that astronauts, pilots, and soldiers are required to take. Read more...