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Space Radiation: Central Nervous System Risks

Encyclopedia of Bioastronautics

Definitions

CNS:

The central nervous system which consists of the brain, spinal cord, and retina.

Dose:

The energy absorbed per unit mass in units of gray (Gy) where 1 Gy = 1 J/kg.

Hippocampus :

A region of the brain in the temporal lobe associated with learning and memory. It has a well-defined layered anatomy that facilitates electrophysiological studies and is associated with numerous animal behavioral tests.

HZE:

High charge (= atomic number, Z) energetic particles.

LET or linear energy transfer:

The energy deposited per unit length of a charged particle’s track and is proportional to Z2/v2 where Z is the charge and v is the velocity.

LTP :

Long-term potentiation, a long-term elevation of synaptic strength in response to stimulation, which represents a tissue-level analog to memory trace formation.

MeV or million electron volts:

The energy acquired by an electron moving across a voltage of 106V and, when divided by the mass of a particle in atomic mass units (amu, u or n), is the...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Radiation Medicine & Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA

    Gregory A. Nelson

Authors
  1. Gregory A. Nelson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gregory A. Nelson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Room 37-219, Massachusetts Institute of Technolo Room 37-219, CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA

    Laurence R. Young

  2. Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine Center for Space Medicine, HOUSTON, TX, USA

    Jeffrey P. Sutton

Section Editor information

  1. Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Kathryn D. Held

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Nelson, G.A. (2019). Space Radiation: Central Nervous System Risks. In: Young, L., Sutton, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Bioastronautics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10152-1_84-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10152-1_84-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-10152-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-10152-1

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Space Radiation: Central Nervous System Risks
    Published:
    20 November 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10152-1_84-2

  2. Original

    Space Radiation: Central Nervous System Risks
    Published:
    23 February 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10152-1_84-1

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