Astronauts May Risk Alzheimer’s - London Student
21 Jan 2013 | News
and Features
Written by Helga Groll
It may sound like science fiction, but ‘Space Tourism’ is already here,
and a recent study suggests such trips to space could be harmful to our brains.
Outside the Earth’s protective atmosphere, cosmic radiation has been
found to produce a variety of health effects, from increased risk of cancer and
cardiovascular disorders to the weakening of the immune system. These might not
be the only issues though. A recent study suggests that astronauts could also
be more prone to suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers exposed mice
to radiation comparable to the amount astronauts would experience on a mission
to Mars. The scientists found that memory was impaired and protein plaques had
formed in the brain. These plaques are characteristic in those with
Alzheimer’s; they alter or stop the communication between nerve cells, which
leads to cognitive impairment. Although this study highlights possible
non-anticipated dangers for astronauts, it is too early to be fully aware of
the risks to humans of space travel.
The research only looked at very few mice, and exclusively males were
studied. The mice were also genetically modified in a way that made them
predisposed to developing Alzheimer’s disease. This means they had genes that
increased their susceptibility to getting the disease, although they should
still have remained healthy under normal circumstances. M. Kerry O’Banion,
Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Rochester stated:
“the mice tended to show plaque pathology starting at 5 to 6 months of age. Our
results could indicate that environmental stimuli can influence Alzheimer’s
pathology, at least in a mouse model.”
The problem is that the scientists can’t be certain whether the
decrease in cognitive function was caused by radiation alone, or because of a
combination of radiation and gene mutation. It is also unclear how long
astronauts would need to be exposed to the radiation to suffer from health
effects. “The dose duration was very different for mice and astronauts. Thus we
cannot draw a simple conclusion yet” Professor O’Banion added.
While space tourism might remain science fiction for most of us (an 8
day trip costs around $20 million USD), it is important to minimise the risks
for astronauts or space tourists by developing better radiation shielding for
the space crafts. 44 years after the infamous “one small step for man, one
giant leap for mankind”, we certainly have come far in our exploration of
space. Perhaps at this point we should consider exploring our own planet Earth
for a while longer. Five billion years have shaped this planet into its current
form, and it is perfectly adapted to risks such as cosmic radiation. We owe it
to ourselves and future generations to do our best to conserve it. After all,
despite our desire to find new worlds to explore, mother Earth may be the only
liveable planet accessible to us for a long time.
