Mitochondrial regulations and their roles in metabolic adaptation in hibernation

Hibernation confers extraordinary protection against various forms of stress and insults that would be life-threatening to non-hibernators. However, the mechanisms of such promising protection remain elusive, hindering potential therapeutic applications. One of the hallmarks of hibernation is metabolic regulation, exemplified by modifications in mitochondrial respiration throughout the different stages of hibernation. Nonetheless, the possible link between metabolic regulation and cellular protection is unclear.  This project aims to study the mitochondrial regulations and their roles in metabolic adaptation during hibernation, in the context of neuroprotection.