Brain Cells Mature Faster In Space But Stay Healthy, ISS Study Finds 17
Scripps Research scientists sent stem-cell-derived brain organoids to the ISS to study the effects of microgravity on brain cells, finding that the organoids matured faster and showed signs of specialization compared to Earth-grown controls. The findings have been published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine. Phys.Org reports: To examine how the space environment impacts cellular functions, the team compared the cells' RNA expression patterns -- a measure of gene activity -- to identical "ground control" organoids that had remained on Earth. Surprisingly, they found that the organoids grown in microgravity had higher levels of genes associated with maturity and lower levels of genes associated with proliferation compared to the ground controls, meaning that the cells exposed to microgravity developed faster and replicated less than those on Earth. "We discovered that in both types of organoids, the gene expression profile was characteristic of an older stage of development than the ones that were on the ground," [says co-senior author Jeanne Loring, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Molecular Medicine and founding director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Scripps Research]. "In microgravity, they developed faster, but it's really important to know these were not adult neurons, so this doesn't tell us anything about aging."
The team also noted that contrary to their hypothesis, there was less inflammation and lower expression of stress-related genes in organoids grown in microgravity, but more research is needed to determine why. Loring speculates that microgravity conditions may more closely mirror the conditions experienced by cells within the brain compared to organoids grown under conventional lab conditions and in the presence of gravity. "The characteristics of microgravity are probably also at work in people's brains, because there's no convection in microgravity -- in other words, things don't move," says Loring. "I think that in space, these organoids are more like the brain because they're not getting flushed with a whole bunch of culture medium or oxygen. They're very independent; they form something like a brainlet, a microcosm of the brain." "The next thing we plan to do is to study the part of the brain that's most affected by Alzheimer's disease," says Loring. "We also want to know whether there are differences in the way neurons connect with each other in space. With these kinds of studies, you can't rely on earlier work to predict what the result would be because there is no earlier work. We're on the ground floor, so to speak; in the sky, but on the ground floor."
The team also noted that contrary to their hypothesis, there was less inflammation and lower expression of stress-related genes in organoids grown in microgravity, but more research is needed to determine why. Loring speculates that microgravity conditions may more closely mirror the conditions experienced by cells within the brain compared to organoids grown under conventional lab conditions and in the presence of gravity. "The characteristics of microgravity are probably also at work in people's brains, because there's no convection in microgravity -- in other words, things don't move," says Loring. "I think that in space, these organoids are more like the brain because they're not getting flushed with a whole bunch of culture medium or oxygen. They're very independent; they form something like a brainlet, a microcosm of the brain." "The next thing we plan to do is to study the part of the brain that's most affected by Alzheimer's disease," says Loring. "We also want to know whether there are differences in the way neurons connect with each other in space. With these kinds of studies, you can't rely on earlier work to predict what the result would be because there is no earlier work. We're on the ground floor, so to speak; in the sky, but on the ground floor."
Crank up the gravity! (Score:3)
Does that mean that growing up in higher gravity makes your brain cells mature more slowly and replicate more? That's something that could be tested in hypergravity machines.
Early push (Score:2)
Re: Early push (Score:2)
Study abroad could become 6 months in orbit? The ultimate billionaire kidsâ(TM) educational opportunity. Toast that privileged grey matter to a light golden brown.
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*return trip not guaranteed.
Wow, 5/5 crappy immature postings so far (Score:3)
This site is really going to shit.
The actual comment here is that this shows human long-term existence ins space may be very long off or impossible.
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Possibly. In this case the people making these postings have completely missed that the story says this was cell-cultures. They are also unaware that this is the standard approach. So no "ludicrous" claims here to anybody that can read. To be fair, being able to read seems to be a skill in decline.
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I don't get that from the article at all. What I get is that the microgravity laboratory than has been in continuous operation for about a quarter century now may help with breakthroughs regarding neural diseases.
There is nothing about long-term colonisation in there. Space colonies would require artificial gravit for other reasons anyway, so this research isn't even applicable. And it's about organoids, which are not the same as actual human brains, even though they are made from the same type of cells.
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And _that_ is a sane, thought-out, response. Thank you. We now can have an exchange as adults about it.
I agree that it is completely unclear what the long-term implications are. And I also agree that this research may have interesting and beneficial effects. What it also shows is that things are more complicated than expected, but that is really nothing new when it comes to human biology.
Of course! (Score:1)
Put Musk in Space (Score:2)
Trek (Score:2)
This explains so many people like Wesley Crusher.
And here we thought it was just better education systems in the future!
Time differential? (Score:2)