Astronauts on the Expedition 73 and Axiom-4 missions to the International Space Station (ISS) are also conducting research on the brain. NASA flight engineer Nicole Ayers wears electrodes on her neck and chest to measure fluctuations in blood flow from her brain to her heart for brain research in the Columbus laboratory module on Wednesday. Axiom-4 mission astronaut Tibor Capu wore a cap, which imaged blood flow in his cerebral artery using Doppler ultrasound.
Axiom-4 mission crew members Shubhanshu Shukla and Slavosz Ujnański-Wisniewski tested the brain-computer interface using a special headset developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). The pair also recorded and downlinked video of crew activities for astronaut mental health studies.
Ayers also joined Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency commander Takuya Onishi and NASA flight engineer Anne McClain in conducting experiments on the eyes using high-resolution near-infrared medical imaging hardware. Researchers are exploring the possibility of using vitamin B supplements to protect eyesight in zero gravity.