Professor Schwartz’s team studies the link between the brain and the immune system, recognizing the immune system’s crucial role in lifelong  brain function and the brain’s ability to recover from injury and withstand  stress. They have demonstrated that immune aging is a key determinant of the onset, severity and progression of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, while not the primary cause, immune system dysfunction or  exhaustion contributes to accelerating dementia. Factors including diet,  sleep deprivation, disrupted circadian rhythms and psychological stress can  accelerate immune system exhaustion.  

During the Rakia mission, Professor Schwartz’s team proposed to explore whether weightlessness affects the immune system and, consequently, brain  function.    Understanding the immunological changes induced by microgravity could reveal dietary factors that protect against these effects. The findings may  help researchers uncover new activation pathways and recognize opportunities  for medical interventions that could slow immune system decline, which contributes to accelerated cognitive decline in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.