Scientists are uncovering the secrets of human hibernation by identifying brain neurons that control dormant states in mice. This breakthrough could lead to medical advancements, especially in treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. The podcast explores how hibernating animals, like Arctic ground squirrels and black bears, manage extreme conditions. With NASA eyeing hibernation for space travel, the challenges of applying this to humans, such as lack of natural hibernation triggers, are also discussed.
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Hypothalamus Neurons Control Torpor
Scientists identified specific neurons in the hypothalamus that control hibernation-like states in mice.
This discovery is crucial for understanding how the brain initiates and maintains torpor, a state of decreased physiological activity.
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Animal Hibernation Examples
During hibernation, animals' bodies undergo dramatic changes like plummeting heart rates and near-freezing body temperatures.
Arctic ground squirrels can even thermoregulate at -2.9°C, while black bears suppress metabolism to 25% with relatively high body temperatures.
insights INSIGHT
Neuroprotective Hibernation
Hibernation has neuroprotective properties, allowing animals to clear harmful protein tangles, similar to those in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The cold shock response activates RBM3, a protein that preserves neurons, and increasing it via gene therapy showed neuroprotection.
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In this episode of Discover Daily, we look at how scientists are getting closer to achieving human hibernation, with Harvard Medical School researchers identifying specific neurons in the hypothalamus that control torpor states in mice. This breakthrough discovery provides the first clear entry point for understanding how the brain initiates and maintains states of decreased physiological activity, bringing us one step closer to controlled human hibernation.
During hibernation, animals undergo remarkable physiological changes, with heart rates dropping dramatically and body temperatures falling to near-freezing levels. Arctic ground squirrels can survive at temperatures as low as -2.9°C, while black bears demonstrate an impressive ability to suppress their metabolism to 25% of normal rates while maintaining relatively high body temperatures. These insights are driving research into potential applications for human medicine, particularly in treating neurodegenerative diseases, as hibernating animals can naturally clear harmful tau protein tangles from their brains - the same proteins that accumulate in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients.
NASA and other space agencies are already planning to test hibernation technology on animals aboard the International Space Station. However, significant challenges remain, including the human body's lack of natural hibernation triggers and protective mechanisms, risks of blood clots, and potential brain damage during extended periods of reduced activity.
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