Startling new science has documented substantial alterations in brain structure among the crews at Concordia Station in Antarctica. This facility is important for recreating rugged, hostile environments and researching their psychological effects on the human psyche. The research project used fMRIs of two separate winter-over crews from 2015 and 2016. It concentrated on the 25 crewmembers who endured up to almost 13 months of isolation, challenged by a toxic low air-pressure environment, extreme altitude, sensory monotonous environment and social isolation.
Taken together, these findings suggest that significant changes in gray matter and ventricular volumes occurred as a result of extended isolation at Concordia Station. In particular, crewmembers showed reductions in gray matter volume in the hippocampus and pallidum, among other subcortical regions. Following the winter mission, volumes for the lateral, third, and fourth ventricles were larger. This change coincided with the decrease seen above. With the exception of one brain alteration, all exhibited reversibility within mere months of returning home.
MRI findings indicated that the size of the fourth ventricle normalized after the mission. In contrast, the lateral and third ventricles continued to be larger on follow-up evaluations. Interestingly, the decrease in gray matter volume within parietal and temporal lobes occurred post-mission. The good news is that it returned to baseline levels within five months.
“Our findings have important implications for how we understand extreme environmental conditions as stressors that shape human neuroanatomy,” said research team lead Dr. They identified the role of sleep hygiene and vigorous physical activity. These practices might be enough to help them combat the kind of isolation Concordia Station crewmembers will feel.
Other structural brain changes were not long-lasting, including a reduction in white matter volume and changes to gray matter in several brain regions. Other amendments had a long-term impact. Five months post-expedition, hippocampus and pallidum volumes had returned to baseline values. Nevertheless, the increased volumes of the lateral and third ventricles indicated that damage was ongoing.
The research underscores Concordia Station’s important role as a terrestrial stand-in for simulating extreme environments. It exposes the physiological toll that people are forced to endure by life in these toxic neighborhoods. Yennayer and other scientists are continuing to study the impact of isolation on brain morphology. If their research succeeds, it will inform lifesaving strategies to better protect those most vulnerable in dire circumstances.
