Repeat Exposures to Spaceflight or Bed Rest and Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome Findings

Is repeat exposure to spaceflight or a spaceflight analog associated with greater changes in the eye and/or brain?In this case series including 7 astronauts and 5 participants in head-down tilt bed rest, exposures to spaceflight or spaceflight analog did not appear to be associated with a greater magnitude of change in optic disc edema or brain ventricular volume in relatively small cohorts of individuals.These results suggest that individual factors governing the structural changes to the eye and brain in astronauts result in a similar change during subsequent missions; more work is needed to determine the long-term health impact of these findings.

Corresponding Author: Steven S. Laurie, PhD, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058 (steven.laurie@nasa.gov).

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