LMU neuroradiologist uses magnetic resonance imaging in the Antarctic to observe the brain structure of polar explorers

As part of an ESA research project, the first mobile magnetic resonance tomograph (MRT) has been brought to the Antarctic continent and installed by LMU scientist Prof. Peter zu Eulenburg. The aim of the study, in collaboration with colleagues from South Wales (Prof. Damian Bailey), is to observe the brain structure of 14 European scientists and technicians during an Antarctic wintering on the French-Italian polar station Concordia.

After a pilot phase at the LMU Klinikum, the baseline measurement of the test subjects was carried out at the European astronaut training center, the DLR Envihab in Cologne-Bonn, using the innovative Hyperfine Swoop® ultra-low-field MRI. A few months ago, the compact MRI was transported from Cologne to Christchurch (New Zealand) via Singapore in a customized transport crate. The subsequent eight-hour intercontinental flight to the coast of Antarctica was then carried out by an Italian Air Force transport aircraft. Due to the extreme climatic conditions, the final 1,000 km flight to the Dome C plateau was carried out by a Basler BT-67 aircraft.

"This is certainly the most logistically complex and nerve-wracking MRI study of my career to date," says Prof. zu Eulenburg, Professor of Neuroimaging at the Institute of Neuroradiology and the German Vertigo Center at the LMU Hospital in Munich. "The transportation risks, especially on the last section from the Italian coastal station Mario-Zucchelli to the interior of Antarctica, were considerable. The electrical commissioning was not easy due to the cold (minus 40 degrees Celsius in summer, minus 80 degrees Celsius in winter) and the insulating, kilometer-thick ice sheet underneath the station. Fortunately, everything has gone well so far, especially thanks to the great support from colleagues from the Italian Antarctic program ENEA and the French polar institute IPEV."

From Antarctica to outer space

The project is funded by the German Aerospace Agency and aims to investigate the effects of long-term social isolation on the human brain using the example of Antarctic hibernators. The very special location (nickname: white Mars), Concordia Station (3233m above sea level), also allows the simultaneous investigation of two further phenomena: the brain's adaptation to altitude in the event of a lack of oxygen and the influence of the duration of daylight on brain structure. Due to its proximity to the South Pole, the sun sets at Concordia Station at the beginning of May and only rises again at the beginning of August after almost three months of total darkness.

With the current study on this special ESA platform for analog space environments, it is hoped that the effects of social isolation can now be successfully distinguished from the effects of weightlessness for the first time. "Initial findings suggest that the brain goes into a kind of resting state when there is a prolonged absence of daylight," says Peter zu Eulenburg. "Shortly before this, however, the brain apparently disposes of a lot of protein waste. The analyses will have to show exactly what happens." The last measurement of the study is scheduled for May 2025. Further trips for the mobile MRI, as well as use at the hospital, are already being planned.

Prof. zu Eulenburg's working group has been studying the effects of a long-term mission on board the International Space Station on the brains of astronauts for years at the hospital in close collaboration with Prof. Alexander Choukér (Anesthesiology). The first high-ranking review of this research was recently published:

Effects of spaceflight on the brain, Lancet Neurology, Volume 23, Issue 8, p826-835, August 2024, DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(24)00224-2.

Date: Munich New Space Summit: Wednesday, October 23, 2024, Panel Discussion: Exploration is Human: Medical Aspects in New Space with Prof. Alexander Chouker and Prof. Peter zu Eulenburg from LMU Klinikum.