NASA Space Brain research: Growing a Smarter Model for Brain Research in Space
Scientists studying neurological diseases faces several daunting challenges. For one thing, these neurological conditions may take several years or even decades to develop. Apart from this, experimenting on the brains of a healthy human being simply is not ethical, and on the other hand, suitable human neurological models have not been readily available currently.
An investigation where the brain organoids sent to the International Space Station may help meet both challenges faced in studying neurological diseases.
The Microgravity effect on Human Brain Organoids (Space Tango-Human Brain Organoids) studies how microgravity affects the basic functions of our brain cells, including its survival, migration & metabolism, and also the formation of neural networks. Our human brain consists of many of these nerve cell networks connected together to transmit and also to process the information received from our senses.
The brain organoids are small living masses of brain cells that form functional neural networks and self-organize into three-dimensional structures resembling parts of the human brain. Researchers recently have begun using these
brain organoids for a range of studies on brain function here on Earth. This white, pea-sized structure mimics the early stages of human brain development and also provide a model for studying the biological processes that are involved in neurological disease and aging.The space-based investigation of the brain takes advantage of the fact that in microgravity, the human body experiences changes that resemble the accelerated aging. The recent studies show that artery walls become stiffer and also thicker in space just the same as when people grow older on Earth.
Alysson Muotri, principal investigator, head of a research laboratory at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla, said that the late-onset Alzheimer’s, for example, takes around 60 or 70 years to develop in an individual; And now with the organoids in the lab, it might take a similar amount of time. And that’s a long time to keep these brain cells alive. If we could actually speed up the disease development, we could create a model that would help us to see how the problems develop and, perhaps, how to mitigate them, he added.
Brain organoids model just a fraction of the brain, Muotri explained, yet mimics some of the organization of brain tissues. These provide a tool that can access the developmental stages of the brain, which is a very important stage for setting up the first wiring of neural cell networks, he said.
When these organoids launched into space in July as a part of NASA Space Brain research, they were a month old, a point at which their cells were rapidly proliferating and also differentiating. These cells stayed on the orbiting laboratory for about 27 days before returning to Earth for the analysis.
Previous research studies provide evidence for how some cells & tissues in the body ‘age’ more quickly in space. And these are the first human brain organoids to travel to space, so it is not yet clear how microgravity may affect the brain cell developments.
At first glance, it appears that the space-traveling brain organoids maintained their shape and may have grown larger. And further analysis could confirm the same and also helped to identify any changes in their DNA and its gene expression.
Caring for these organoids during studies that cover months and years is very time-consuming. The investigation developed special hardware for growing the brain organoids autonomously, which could greatly simplify their use for research in space as well as on Earth.
In addition to advancing the understanding of the development of diseases that affects the brain, this research study is fundamental to protecting human health during space exploration.
The team wants to see whether the brain organoids survive and whether cells replicate and form connections, Muotri said. He added that this has implications for long term space travel and also the colonization of future planets.
The future studies could create new brain organoids from single cells in space, and could keep them on the space station longer in order to study later phases of its development, said Muotri.
For now, this current investigation advances organoid technology, that helps to address challenges involved in learning more about the human brain.
