The NASA Twins Study: A multidimensional analysis of a year-long human spaceflight

Science. 2019 Apr 12;364(6436):eaau8650. doi: 10.1126/science.aau8650.

Abstract

To understand the health impact of long-duration spaceflight, one identical twin astronaut was monitored before, during, and after a 1-year mission onboard the International Space Station; his twin served as a genetically matched ground control. Longitudinal assessments identified spaceflight-specific changes, including decreased body mass, telomere elongation, genome instability, carotid artery distension and increased intima-media thickness, altered ocular structure, transcriptional and metabolic changes, DNA methylation changes in immune and oxidative stress-related pathways, gastrointestinal microbiota alterations, and some cognitive decline postflight. Although average telomere length, global gene expression, and microbiome changes returned to near preflight levels within 6 months after return to Earth, increased numbers of short telomeres were observed and expression of some genes was still disrupted. These multiomic, molecular, physiological, and behavioral datasets provide a valuable roadmap of the putative health risks for future human spaceflight.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Twin Study

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological*
  • Adaptive Immunity
  • Astronauts*
  • Body Weight
  • Carotid Arteries / diagnostic imaging
  • Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
  • DNA Damage
  • DNA Methylation
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome
  • Genomic Instability
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Space Flight*
  • Telomere Homeostasis
  • Time Factors
  • United States
  • United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration