Bio-X Institutes (Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Development and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Brain Health and Brain Technology Research Center in Global Institute of Future Technology, Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
National Key Laboratory of Human Factors Engineering, Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, 100094, China.
Mol Brain. 2024 Sep 3;17(1):65. doi: 10.1186/s13041-024-01133-2.
It is a consensus in the international manned space field that factors such as microgravity during the space flight can cause anxiety, depression and other important brain function abnormalities in astronauts. However, the neural mechanism at the molecular level is still unclear. Due to the limitations of research conditions, studies of biological changes in the primate brain have been comparatively few. We took advantage of -6° head-down bed rest (HDBR), one of the most implemented space analogues on the ground, to investigate the effects of simulated weightlessness on non-human primate brain metabolites. The Rhesus Macaque monkeys in the experiment were divided into three groups: the control group, the 42-day simulated weightlessness group with HDBR, and the recovery group, which had 28 days of free activity in the home cage after the HDBR. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to perform metabolomics analysis on specific brain areas of the monkeys under three experimental conditions. Our results show that simulated weightlessness can cause neurotransmitter imbalances, the amino acid and energy metabolism disorders, and hormone disturbances. But these metabolomics changes are reversible after recovery. Our study suggests that long-term brain damage in space flight might be reversible at the metabolic level. This lays a technical foundation for ensuring brain health and enhancing the brain function in future space studies.
在国际载人航天领域有一个共识，即太空飞行期间的微重力等因素会导致宇航员出现焦虑、抑郁和其他重要的大脑功能异常。然而，其分子水平的神经机制仍不清楚。由于研究条件的限制，对灵长类动物大脑的生物学变化研究相对较少。我们利用 -6°头低位卧床（HDBR），这是地面上最常用的太空模拟方法之一，来研究模拟失重对非人类灵长类动物大脑代谢物的影响。实验中的恒河猴分为三组：对照组、42 天 HDBR 模拟失重组和 HDBR 后 28 天在笼内自由活动的恢复组。在三种实验条件下，我们使用液相色谱-质谱（LC-MS）对猴子特定脑区进行代谢组学分析。我们的研究结果表明，模拟失重会导致神经递质失衡、氨基酸和能量代谢紊乱以及激素失调。但这些代谢组学变化在恢复后是可逆的。我们的研究表明，飞行中长时间的大脑损伤可能在代谢水平上是可逆的。这为未来太空研究中保障大脑健康和增强大脑功能奠定了技术基础。
