Could This Tech Help Astronauts Journey To Distant Worlds?

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Ideally, future astronauts traveling to strange alien worlds could hibernate like bears. The ability to lower metabolism and body temperature will be useful during deep space flights that can last years or even decades. Not only does this mean crew members eat less food, but they will be able to conserve energy by preventing cabin fever and preventing the loss of muscle and bone mass in the absence of weight.

Unfortunately, astronauts are not bears. However, researchers are working hard to find ways to simulate lethargy (aka torpor) in humans to help solve problems that will no doubt become more important as space colonization approaches.

A group of scientists from the University of Washington published a study Thursday in the journal Nature Metabolism , in which they successfully used ultrasound to induce a hibernation-like state in mice and rats. This approach is non-invasive and targets brain areas to induce startle in rodents.

"Ultrasound is the only available form of energy that can be noninvasively focused anywhere in the brain with high precision and without ionizing radiation," said Hong Chen, a medical ultrasound researcher at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of the study. article. The Daily Beast in an email. "We were interested in whether ultrasound could non-invasively activate the switch to induce a dazed state."

Fainting is a state in which mammals lower their metabolism and body temperature and greatly slow down their entire system in order to conserve as much energy as possible. The authors write that the condition is controlled by the central nervous system. So the idea is that targeting the hypothalamus, which controls the nervous system, can cause lethargy. It should be noted that if rats fall into such a state during very cold weather, rats do not fall into such a state.

The team created ultrasound emitters and attached them to the heads of mice. They then sent 10-second ultrasound pulses to the hypothalamus, which caused an immediate drop in the animals' body temperature, heart rate and oxygen consumption by an average of 6 degrees Fahrenheit. . The team was also able to automate their device to scan the mice's brains with ultrasound as their body temperatures rose, allowing them to safely maintain a stunned state for 24 hours. Within two hours of the experiment, the animals were able to fully recover.

The study authors were also able to repeat the experiment up to 12 hours in mice, another non-hibernating animal, and obtained similar results. However, the mice's body temperatures fell an average of 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit, not 6, in part because they don't naturally hibernate. But it proves that with the right technique they can achieve a stunned state.

"The finding that this condition can occur in mice that did not faint naturally suggests that similar effects may occur in humans," Chen said.

Of course, more research is needed to determine if this works in humans. Chen added that the team hopes to transfer the technique to human trials. They can prove that brain ultrasounds are a great way to relax like bears.

The impact of technology is huge. Not only can it help us face complex challenges like deep space travel for centuries, but it can also help us in life-threatening situations like stroke or heart attack by slowing down our metabolism.

"If possible, this method has the potential to reduce energy consumption during long-duration manned spaceflight and extend the time needed for life-saving medical care after acute emergencies," Chen said.

If nothing else, it can help us sleep better. Maybe the world doesn't have enough melatonin to prepare us for the long journey to Alpha Centauri.

Learn more at The Daily Beast.

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