The Central Control of Energy Expenditure: Exploiting Torpor for Medical Applications.
Annu Rev Physiol
; 79: 167-186, 2017 02 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27813827
ABSTRACT
Autonomic thermoregulation is a recently acquired function, as it appears for the first time in mammals and provides the brain with the ability to control energy expenditure. The importance of such control can easily be highlighted by the ability of a heterogeneous group of mammals to actively reduce metabolic rate and enter a condition of regulated hypometabolism known as torpor. The central neural circuits of thermoregulatory cold defense have been recently unraveled and could in theory be exploited to reduce energy expenditure in species that do not normally use torpor, inducing a state called synthetic torpor. This approach may represent the first steps toward the development of a technology to induce a safe and reversible state of hypometabolism in humans, unlocking many applications ranging from new medical procedures to deep space travel.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Sistema Nervoso Central
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Metabolismo Energético
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Torpor
Tipo de estudo:
Health_economic_evaluation
Limite:
Animals
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Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2017
Tipo de documento:
Article