德国海德堡大学Jan Siemens团队近期取得重要工作进展，他们研究提出，下丘脑热诱导神经元可塑性能够介导热耐受。相关研究成果2024年12月9日在线发表于《自然—神经科学》杂志上。

据介绍，热适应是一种适应性过程，可以提高生理性能，并在环境温度升高的情况下支持生存，但其潜在机制尚不清楚。

研究人员在小鼠下丘脑视前区（POA）中发现了一组离散的神经元，它们在热适应过程中增加了活性，这是小鼠变得耐热所必需的特性。在未适应的小鼠中，通过臂旁核的外周热传入通路激活POA神经元并介导急性热防御机制。

然而，长期暴露在高温下会促进POA神经元获得固有的温敏活动，而与热传入臂旁输入无关。这种新获得的细胞自主温敏性，是驯化动物招募外周耐热机制所必需的。这种类似起搏器的温敏活动是由钠漏电流增加，和NaV1.3离子通道利用率提高共同驱动的。研究人员认为，这种显著的神经元可塑性机制自适应地驱动驯化以促进耐热性。

附：英文原文

Title: Thermally induced neuronal plasticity in the hypothalamus mediates heat tolerance

Author: Ambroziak, Wojciech, Nencini, Sara, Pohle, Jrg, Zuza, Kristina, Pino, Gabriela, Lundh, Sofia, Araujo-Sousa, Carolina, Goetz, Larissa I. L., Schrenk-Siemens, Katrin, Manoj, Gokul, Herrera, Mildred A., Acuna, Claudio, Siemens, Jan

Issue&Volume: 2024-12-09

Abstract: Heat acclimation is an adaptive process that improves physiological performance and supports survival in the face of increasing environmental temperatures, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here we identified a discrete group of neurons in the mouse hypothalamic preoptic area (POA) that rheostatically increase their activity over the course of heat acclimation, a property required for mice to become heat tolerant. In non-acclimated mice, peripheral thermoafferent pathways via the parabrachial nucleus activate POA neurons and mediate acute heat-defense mechanisms. However, long-term heat exposure promotes the POA neurons to gain intrinsically warm-sensitive activity, independent of thermoafferent parabrachial input. This newly gained cell-autonomous warm sensitivity is required to recruit peripheral heat tolerance mechanisms in acclimated animals. This pacemaker-like, warm-sensitive activity is driven by a combination of increased sodium leak current and enhanced utilization of the NaV1.3 ion channel. We propose that this salient neuronal plasticity mechanism adaptively drives acclimation to promote heat tolerance.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01830-0

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01830-0