# Molecular and cellular basis of reversible hypothermia

> **NIH NIH R01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $515,342

## Abstract

Project summary
Thermoregulation is a fundamental process that affects virtually all aspects of animal physiology.
In mammals, core body temperature is monitored by neurons in the preoptic area of the
hypothalamus. Activity of these neurons determines the neuronal output that drives
thermoregulation and controls body temperature. Despite its fundamental physiological
significance, the molecular basis of temperature homeostasis under normal, adaptive and
pathological conditions remains obscure. Mammalian hibernation is a cyclical reprograming of a
thermoregulatory phenotype. This process is associated with dramatic physiological
perturbations: heart and respiration rate decrease, core body temperature drops from 37°C to 2-
4°C. Upon arousal from hibernation, all physiological parameters return to normal within hours.
This remarkable plasticity suggests the presence of specific adaptations in the thermoregulatory
system of hibernators, but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain enigmatic.
In this basic scientific proposal, we will employ a comparative multidisciplinary approach to
understand cellular and molecular principles of reversible hypothermia at the level of POA, using
a novel hypothermia-tolerant animal model, hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrel, and
laboratory mice, a non-hibernating species. Understanding how hibernators achieve reversible
hypothermia will facilitate the development of pharmacology to induce and regulate hypothermia
in mammals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10583822
- **Project number:** 1R01NS126271-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Elena Gracheva
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $515,342
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-12-05 → 2027-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10583822

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10583822, Molecular and cellular basis of reversible hypothermia (1R01NS126271-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10583822. Licensed CC0.

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