Exosomal Profiling Reveals Mechanisms of Hibernation-Associated Neuroprotection

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that affects 4 million people in the US and is one of the leading causes of vision loss due to damage to the optic nerve (ON) which is composed of axons from retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) that transmit visual information to the brain. Injury to the ON often triggers RGC death and subsequent loss of visual function. Despite its increasing prevalence worldwide, effective therapies for glaucoma remain elusive. Notably, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (TLGS) exhibits intrinsic neuroprotection during hibernation; however, reproducing this protective state pharmacologically has proven challenging. To elucidate the metabolic mechanisms underlying this resilien