Hibernating squirrels may hold clue to post-stroke therapy

Scientists in Alaska say they have figured out how to make squirrels hibernate, a process that could be used to preserve brain function in humans who suffer strokes or heart attacks.

But the technique only worked in squirrels who were awakened by researchers during their hibernation season, not outside normal hibernation times, said the study in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Researchers at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, studied arctic ground squirrels, giving them a caffeine-like substance to awaken them from hibernation.