The brain’s ‘headset’ is intended to provide a high-resolution view of the neural changes taking place in the brain in the air, and it jumps on top of Axiom Space’s release, Ax-1 .
If all goes to plan, brain testing will begin, from Israeli startup Brain.Space, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on April 6 with the mission’s four personal astronauts Ax-1. The passengers, whose aircraft is chartered by Axiom Space, will embark on a 10 -day journey that includes eight days of living and working on the International Space Station.
The head and related equipment will be tested on the ISS, Brain.Space said on their website. The experiment will return to Earth with the Ax-1 team.
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According to the team, their focus on the brain is unique, because, according to them, today, “there are no high -quality longitudinal data about neural changes in long -range spacecraft,” according to their website.
By gaining and learning this knowledge, the company hopes to gain more insight into how the brain adapts to the atmosphere, a land full of problems such as radiation, microgravity and more. with isolation. Learning about the “daily plastic changes” of the brain, the company says on its website. The industry says these changes could help future spaceflies feel comfortable in orbit.
Studies have been performed on neurons, or nerve system systems that are involved with brain cells. But on its website, Brain.Space says these studies were performed using gel-based systems to evaluate electrical activity at low-intensity, called an EEG (or electroencephalogram).
The experiments, the team found, “made it difficult to set microgravity and only look at simple brain function measurements.” Their brain EEG, Brain.Space said, will streamline the setting and provide more details about what the brain looks like.
The experiment with this headset will look at brain activity, including how the brain evaluates and uses space information, also called cognitive function. In addition to making adjustments for future flights, the headset should provide some metrics to evaluate brain health in the air, leading to further studies in the air. future.
The researchers plan to collect 15 -minute EEG recordings twice a day over eight days. The videos will be streamed to the team in Tel Aviv, Israel for editing and assistance, and then the data will be reviewed by the team and its research partner, Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, Israel.
The tasks to be performed with the head include observing the “resting state” of the brain in the air, and observing the brain as the research subject observes a “visual oddball. “(a wave). According to the startup, they hope this knowledge can be used to help people on Earth with brain disorders, such as sleep problems or schizophrenia.
It’s unclear how many sailors will take part in the experiment, which is part of a larger group of Ramon Foundation experiments that are going into the air with member Eytan Stibbe. (Brain.Space says everyone is trained to make a headset.)
Stibbe was a longtime friend of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, who died on board the Columbia plane in 2003; Stibbe also created the cause to honor Ramon’s legacy. Stibbe was the second Israeli astronaut to go into space, after Ramon.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
