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CTOnews.com, May 29 / PRNewswire-Asianet /-- A multidisciplinary team at the University of Washington at St. Louis has developed an innovative and non-invasive way to stimulate the central nervous system of mammals with ultrasound to put them into a hibernating state. Aiming at the anterior hypothalamic area of the brain, this technique can effectively reduce the body temperature and metabolic rate of mice, making it into a state similar to the natural hibernation mechanism adopted by some animals to adapt to the extreme environment. According to CTOnews.com, this non-invasive technology can be used in scenarios such as space travel, or in sick patients to save energy. The study is in the journal Nature Metabolism.

Chen Hong, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and radiation oncology at the University of Washington in St. Louis, and her team used wearable ultrasonic transducers to stimulate neurons in the anterior hypothalamic area of the mouse brain. When these neurons were stimulated, the mouse's body temperature dropped by about 3 degrees Celsius for an hour. In addition, the metabolism of mice has shifted from using carbohydrates and fats for energy to using only fat, a key feature of hibernation, and the heart rate of mice has dropped by about 47% at room temperature. The researchers also found that the degree of hypothermia and hypometabolism (UIH) induced by ultrasound increased with the increase of ultrasound pressure and duration.

In order to understand how ultrasound-induced hypothermia and hypometabolism are activated, the researchers studied the activity of neurons in the anterior hypothalamic area under ultrasound stimulation. They observed that each ultrasound pulse caused a consistent increase in neuronal activity, consistent with changes in body temperature in mice. "these findings reveal that UIH is caused by ultrasound activating neurons in the anterior hypothalamic area." "We found that transcranial stimulation of the anterior hypothalamic area is sufficient to induce UIH, revealing that this area plays a key role in regulating a hibernating state in mice," said Yang Yaoheng, a postdoctoral researcher.

Chen Hong and her team also want to find the molecules that make these neurons sensitive to ultrasound. Through gene sequencing, they found that ultrasound activated TRPM2 ion channels in neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus. In a series of experiments, they proved that TRPM2 is an ion channel sensitive to ultrasound and contributes to the induction of UIH.

In addition to the mice, they also conducted experiments on rats that did not have the ability to hibernate or hibernate naturally. By applying ultrasound to the anterior hypothalamic area, they found that the skin temperature of the rats, especially the brown adipose tissue area, decreased. And the core body temperature dropped by about 1 degree Celsius, similar to natural hibernation.

"UIH is expected to achieve the goal that the scientific community has been pursuing since the 1960s, namely non-invasive and safe induction of a hibernation-like state." "Ultrasonic stimulation has a unique ability to non-invasively reach deep areas of the animal and human brain with high spatial and temporal accuracy," Chen said. "

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