Brain circuit that times a state of low metabolism could have implications for space travel

Article excerpt

Researchers have identified a brain circuit that controls the timing of torpor, a state of dramatically reduced metabolism and body temperature that animals like hummingbirds, bats, and mice enter when facing extreme cold or starvation. The discovery reveals how the brain's circadian clock orchestrates this survival mechanism, a finding that could eventually inform strategies for protecting astronauts during long space missions or managing metabolic states in medical emergencies. Scientists had long suspected the clock played a role, but the precise neural mechanism remained unknown until now.