G. Clément and M.F. Reschke, eds. Springer; 2008, 322 pages, 120 illustrations, $49.95.
The complexities of changes to the central and peripheral nervous systems as a result of space travel are described in great detail in this 322-page book, Neuroscience in Space, written by 2 neuroscientists (Drs Clement and Reschke). They provocatively ask at the very beginning why one would even write such a book. Going through this publication, one realizes why. Granted that this publication will have no relevance to the day-to-day practice of neuroradiology, it could, nonetheless, serve as an interesting read (replacing that novel that may be at your bedside stand). Here you are exposed to the variable considerations that need to be taken into account when testing space travelers and preparing them for flight. An interesting chapter outlines the history of space neuroscience, and a 26-page table lists all prior space missions, the dates, the crew, and the neuroscience experiments performed as a result of each of those missions.
Covered in this book are multiple neurologic functional changes consequent to space travel, including but not limited to cognition, spatial orientation, disturbances in eye movements, and alterations in vestibular function. For those of you who are thinking that now may be a good time to move to Mars, there is a section (albeit short) on what to expect from a neurologic and muscular standpoint once you get there.
So if you want a bit of diversion while still remaining in the neuroscience world, here is a book that many will find intriguing.
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