Mammals hibernate by lowering their body temperature. (Representative)
Paris:
Could humans eventually hibernate to protect them after an injury or preserve them when traveling in deep space?
The idea is a staple of science fiction, but the studies released Thursday draw on a growing field of research that experts say is “revolutionizing” our understanding of how the brain regulates body heat.
Mammals hibernate by lowering their body temperature to significantly slow down their metabolism and conserve energy often during the winter months when there is a shortage of food.
Previous research has indicated that the central nervous system is involved in thermoregulation – also increasing the temperature in the form of anti-infective fevers.
But the precise mechanisms involved were unclear.
In a study published in Nature, researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan identified neurons in the brain of rodents that can be artificially activated to send animals into a state of hibernation.
Scientists first examined the mice, which do not hibernate but enter a similar short-term state often called torpor.
They genetically modified mice in which they could activate a set of neurons in the hypothalamus – called Q neurons – using chemicals or light.
The mice became less active, their body temperature dropped ten degrees or more below 30 degrees Celsius, their pulse rate slowed considerably, their metabolic rate decreased, and their breathing became shallow.
They remained in a state similar to that observed in torpor or hibernation for more than 48 hours, after which they behaved normally without any sign of physical harm.
The authors succeeded in reproducing the test technique on rats which also do not hibernate normally.
They stated that the ability to induce such a condition in a non-hibernating mammal was a “step forward in our understanding of the neural mechanisms of regulated hypometabolism”.
Their technique also allowed them to map the wider circuit of the neurons involved in the process.
Medical uses
The authors stated that the ability to artificially induce this type of hibernation in humans “would be beneficial for many medical applications, while being relevant to the possibility of long-range space exploration at to come up”.
Potential clinical applications include the reduction of tissue damage following heart attacks or strokes and the preservation of organs for transplants, they said.
In a separate study also published in Nature, researchers from Harvard Medical School identified neurons in the hypothalamus that regulate torpor in mice.
They discovered that by blocking the activity of these neurons, they could prevent the natural torpor from starting.
In a commentary in Nature, Clifford Saper and Natalia Machado of Harvard Medical School said the new studies add to a wave of research “revolutionizing our understanding of the preoptic neurons at the heart of thermoregulation”.
If similar groups of neurons are found in humans, they said it could pave the way for therapeutic hypothermia that can be induced in humans “for example, after a heart attack or stroke, slowing down processes to help limit tissue damage. “
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
