A team of Japanese scientists said Thursday they have succeeded in artificially inducing a hibernation-like state in rodents by stimulating nerve cells, suggesting beneficial implications for human medical applications and deep space exploration.
The University of Tsukuba and Riken, a state-run research institute, announced their discovery in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature.
Hibernation is a state in which some mammals actively lower their body temperature for energy conservation during winter months to survive food scarcity.
Mice and rats do not hibernate, although the former experience daily torpor.
Previous research had indicated that the central nervous system was involved, but the exact mechanism had been unclear.
The experiment showed that when lab mice's nerve cells dubbed "Q neurons" in the hypothalamus were artificially stimulated with drugs, their usual body temperature of around 37 C dropped to 24 C, and their oxygen consumption was reduced to 10 to 20 percent of the normal level.
Their ability to regulate their metabolism remained functional. Same experiments conducted on rats showed similar results.
"The findings will advance research on human hibernation," said Takeshi Sakurai, a professor at the University of Tsukuba who participated in the research.
There is a high possibility that humans have Q neurons which if selectively manipulated could be used to induce synthetic hibernation, opening the door to medical applications including reduction of tissue damage following heart attacks or strokes, and preservation of organs for transplant, the team says.
In space exploration, astronauts would be able to tolerate long space flights with low oxygen levels and low food intake.
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