“Hoping to help ordinary people with neurological disorders, University of Calgary researchers will study astronauts in space and how changes in gravity affect the brain and its navigation systems.

In a unique experiment with the Canadian Space Agency and the International Space Station, astronauts will undergo a series of neurological tests — including MRIs — before heading to space, and then again after a six-month mission at the station.

Known as “Wayfinding,” the study will investigate how reduced gravitational forces affect the astronauts’ ability to navigate themselves through vision, balance and messaging to the brain. The research is expected to provide knowledge that will eventually benefit ordinary patients here on Earth affected by similar neurological conditions.

Those could include myriad common conditions, from dizziness, vertigo, inner-ear issues, vision or neural degeneration related to aging.”

U of C partners with Canadian Space Agency to study how gravity impacts brain function

Hoping to help ordinary people with neurological disorders, University of Calgary researchers will study astronauts in space and how changes in gravity affect the brain and its navigation systems. In a unique experiment with the Canadian Space Agency and the International Space Station, astronauts will undergo a series of neurological tests – including MRIs – before…