Hibernation... and Medical Research?

Albert Einstein famously said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” (Einstein).  Unfortunately, given how humans have treated the earth, primarily since the Industrial Revolution, the more we look into nature, the more we understand the permanent damage we have done to the ecosystems and atmosphere.  As we study climate change, it is difficult to remain optimistic.  However, there is much more that nature can help us to ‘better understand,’ and I hope that after reading this piece, we can remain slightly optimistic.

Throughout my readings on the Adirondacks, together with further research, the topic that most intrigues me is learning how the wilderness ecosystems prepare for the winter.  Hibernation and the ability of certain organisms’ ability to allow their muscle tissues to freeze for the winter months absolutely fascinated me.  As we discussed hibernation, I remembered a BBC article that I read in January.

The article, authored by BBC health editor James Gallagher, highlights a joint study by the University of Cambridge and the University of Leicester, which presents data showing a connection between the study of animal hibernation and possible dementia treatments.  In the study, Gallagher explains that the body temperature of the mice was significantly decreased, and then increased to the normal temperature.  During this process, the younger mice were better able to mend the effected synapses that were lost during the cooling, while the older mice could not recover.  The scientists suggested that this was a result of lower levels of the released chemical RBM3 in the older mice (Gallagher, 2015).

(I would encourage all to read the entire article, together with the official report published in Nature.  I have included both links below.)

An article posted on PubMed which clarifies the study, explains that, “the cooling that occurs in hibernation reduces the number of nerve connections in the brain, but these regrow when an animal warms up… A protein called RNA-binding motif protein 3 (RBM3) increases during the cooling, and it appears this protein is part of a pathway involved in the regrowth”  (PubMed, 2015).  Although it is still unknown whether doctors and researchers will be able to formulate a medication and treatment plan for dementia from this research, it is a fascinating case in surveying nature, and using the gained observations to promote scientific research from a separate discipline.

I sincerely hope that we continue to learn how wildlife can further help humans in abstract ways, as we attempt to repair all the harm we have done to nature's ecosystems.

Works Cited:

1.     Gallagher, James. "Hibernating Hints at Dementia Therapy." BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 01 Mar. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30812438>.

2.     Peretti, Diego, Amandine Bastide, Helois Radford, Nicholas Verity, Colin Molloy, Maria Guerra Martin, Julie A. Moreno, Joern R. Steinert, Tim Smith, David Dinsdale, Anne E. Willis, and Giovanna R. Mallucci. "RBM3 Mediates Structural Plasticity and Protective Effects of Cooling in Neurodegeneration." Nature 518 (2015): 236-39. 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v518/n7538/full/nature14142.html>.

3.     PubMed Health. "'Hibernation Protein' Could Help Repair Dementia Damage." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2015-01-15-hibernation-protein-could-help-repair-dementia-damage/>.