[1/2] The International Space Station (ISS) photographed by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking, October 4, 2018. Age-related ventricular enlargement - caused not by microgravity but by brain atrophy - can be associated with cognitive decline. This headward fluid shift likely results in ventricular expansion, and the brain sits higher within the skull." The study involved 23 male and seven female astronauts - average age around 47 - from the U.S., Canadian and European space agencies. Microgravity conditions also cause other physiological effects due to the reduced physical load on the human body.

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Persons: Heather McGregor, Rachael Seidler, Seidler, McGregor, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Space, Expedition, Soyuz, NASA, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, of Florida, University of, Thomson Locations: Handout, University of Florida, U.S