The Social Cognition Paradox in Long-Duration Spaceflight: A VEN Fatigue Hypothesis for Duration-Dependent Emotion Recognition Decline

Abstract

Abstract

Long-duration spaceflight may alter social cognition, yet the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. Emotion Recognition Task (ERT) performance remains stable during typical 6-month International Space Station (ISS) missions but declines markedly during the 340-day NASA Twins Study, suggesting duration-dependent vulnerability. Here, we propose the Von Economo Neuron (VEN) Fatigue Hypothesis, which posits that microgravity increases demand on VEN-associated social cognitive networks, eliciting adaptive myelination during shorter missions before compensatory mechanisms fail with prolonged exposure. To evaluate this hypothesis, we integrated evidence from rodent, human cortical organoid, astronaut plasma proteomic, and neuroimaging datasets. ISS-flown rodent frontal cortex demonstrated increased expression of myelination-related genes, while spaceflown cortical organoids exhibited changes consistent with oligodendrocyte remodeling. Astronaut plasma transcriptomics identified reproducible alterations in VEN-associated and myelination-related proteins across independent missions, and resting-state fMRI revealed transient changes in frontal insula connectivity following long-duration spaceflight. Together, these findings provide convergent evidence supporting the VEN Fatigue Hypothesis and identify adaptive myelination and VEN-associated network remodeling as candidate mechanisms underlying duration-dependent changes in social cognition during long-duration spaceflight.