Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pjpqr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-28T16:08:47.387Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cooling Core Body Temperature May Slow Down Neurodegeneration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Alen J. Salerian  and
Nansen G. Saleri
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Reduction of core body temperature has been proposed to contribute to the increased lifespan and the anti-aging effects conferred by caloric restriction in mice and higher primates. Cooler biologically compatible core body temperatures have also been hypothesized to combat neurodegenerative disorders. Yet, validation of these hypotheses has been difficult until recently, when it demonstrated that transgenic mice engineered to have chronic low core body temperature have longer lifespan independent of alteration in diet or caloric restriction. This article reviews the literature and highlights the potential influence of core body temperature's governing role on aging and in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders in humans. What makes recent findings more significant for humans is the existence of several methods to lower and maintain low core body temperatures in human subjects. The therapeutic potential of “cooler people” may also raise the possibility that this could reverse the adverse-health consequences of elevations in core body temperature.

Type
Review Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , March 2008 , pp. 227 - 229
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Sohal, NS, Weindruch, R. Oxidative stress, calorie restriction and aging. Science. 1996;273:59–63.Google Scholar
2.Salerian, AJ, Saleri, NG. Cooler biologically compatible core body temperature may prolong longevity and combat neurodegenerative disorders. Med Hypotheses. 2006;66:636–642.Google Scholar
3.Arrhenius, S. Uber die reaktionsgeschwindigkeit bei inversion von rohrzucker durch sauren. Z Phys Chem. 1889;4:226–248Google Scholar
4.Roth, GS, Lane, MA, Ingram, DK, et al.Biomarkers of calorie restriction may predict longevity in humans. Science. 2002;297:811.Google Scholar
5.Baum, E, Bruck, K, Schwennicke, HP. Adaptive modifications in the thermo-regulatory system of long-distance runners. J Appl Physiol. 1976;40:404–410.Google Scholar
6.Kollias, J, Boileau, R, Buskirk, ER. Effects of physical conditioning in man on thermal responses to cold air. Int J Biometeor. 1972;16:389–402.Google Scholar
7.Colcombe, SJ, Ericksen, KI, Scalf, PE, et al.Aerobic exercise training increases brain volume in aging humans. J Geronol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2006;61:1166–1170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Conti, B, Sanchez-Alavez, M, Winsky-Sommerer, R, et al.Transgenic mice with a reduced core body temperature have an increased life span. Science. 2006;314:825–828.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Dollins, AB, Zhdanova, IV, Wurtman, RJ, Lynch, HJ, Deng, MH. Effect of inducing nocturnal serum melatonin concentration in daytime or sleep mood, body temperature and performance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994;91:1824–1828.Google Scholar
10.US Xyrem Multicenter Study Group. A double-blind placebo controlled study demonstrated sodium oxybate is effective for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy. Sleep. 2003;26:31–35.Google Scholar
11.Gisolfi, CV, Mora, F. The Hot Brain: Survival, Temperature, and the Human Body. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press; 2000.Google Scholar