Researchers have identified a metabolic switch in mice, which can induce a hibernation-like state.
The team from Georgia State University believe the discovery could have wide-ranging impacts for scientific fields ranging from obesity to cardiometabolic health, and even space travel.
Study lead author Eric Krause said a group of neurons controlling the brain-heart-gut axis had been identified in mice, which could be activated to induce a hypometabolic state that resembled hibernation.
“We identified this population of neurons located near the base of the skull that relay the sensation of mechanical stretch exerted on the gut and heart to the brain,” Professor Krause said.
“When these neurons are activated, they seem to recreate the sensation of feeling full or having increased blood pressure,” he said.
“We found that activating these neurons suppresses eating and lowers blood pressure, heart rate and whole-body metabolism.”
Professor Krause said during the research, the team discovered that simultaneous, recurrent firing of these neurons in mice produced a torpor-like state, similar to that of animals in hibernation, characterized by reductions in cardiac output, body temperature and energy expenditure.
“This is changing what we know about body-to-brain communication and how profoundly it affects physiology and behaviour.”
He said activating these neurons could be leveraged therapeutically to achieve weight loss without prolonged hypometabolism or stress side effects.
“Torpor is also being explored for applications ranging from biomedical therapeutics to slowing the metabolic rate of astronauts to enable long-duration space travel.”
Co-author Guillaume de Lartigue the team had tapped into the body’s own energy-saving toolkit.
“By activating these neurons, we can trigger an ancient survival mechanism present in mammals,” Assistant Professor de Lartigue said.
“If we can control the body’s on/off switch for energy use, the implications for human health are extraordinary.”
Read the full study: Mechanosensation of the heart and gut elicits hypometabolism and vigilance in mice.
