Joel Kontinen
They might not win any beauty contests or even look very cute, but naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) are exceptional animals.
A new study, published in the journal Current Biology, brings to light another of the secrets of the mole rat.
In the new study, "Carbon dioxide is really good at calming the brain down, if not shutting the brain down," said study author Dan McCloskey, an associate professor of psychology at the Graduate Center of The City University of New York. McCloskey studies epilepsy, a neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures, and thinks the study of naked mole rats could help to unravel mysteries surrounding the human medical condition."
"Further research into what provokes seizures in naked mole rats, and what prevents them, could help guide future studies in human patients, he added."
"A 2011 study led by the University of Helsinki suggested that doctors could quickly suppress seizures in epilepsy patients by having them inhale air made up of 5% carbon dioxide. Now, physicians in Finland "keep CO2 bottles on hand" for acute epilepsy treatment, and specifically for infants with febrile seizures, McCloskey said."
Unlike other creatures, these tiny rodents hardly age at all. While they will eventually die, they can live well over 30 years in captivity, which is a huge age for rats.
This reminds us of the diversity seen in the animal kingdom.
They remind us of the longevity of the early humans mentioned in Genesis after the Fall.
Source:
Lanese, Nicoletta. 2020. We expel carbon dioxide as waste. Naked mole rats bathe their brains in it to prevent seizures. Live Science 30 April.
Posts
