Naked mole-rat research offer clues to brain cell preservation

Studies involving naked mole-rats could offer clues to the development of new treatments to protect brain cells from damage following heart attacks or strokes.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are assessing the hairless subterranean creatures to work out how they are able to keep their brains alive, even when living beneath ground in oxygen-deprived environments.

The scientists found that the brain cells of these animals contain calcium channels that prevent damaging calcium overdoses in the brain by closing when oxygen is scarce.

This is a defence mechanism shared by human babies, meaning that treatments which up-regulate infant-type calcium channels could prove beneficial in various ways.

University of Illinois at Chicago biologist Thomas Park suggested that studying naked mole-rats could provide more insights into new medical techniques, as the animals are also able to survive living in conditions rich in carbon dioxide and ammonia.

"The more we study these creatures, the more we learn," he added.

Earlier this month, the University of Copenhagen published research into a certain type of Chilean rainforest plant which could offer insight into how to combat drug-resistant bacteria.