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Whisker stimulation prevents strokes in rats, UCI study finds
University of California, Irvine ^ | July 13, 2010 | Unknown

Posted on 07/13/2010 12:41:50 PM PDT by decimon

Talk about surviving by a whisker. The most common type of stroke can be completely prevented in rats by stimulating a single whisker, according to a new study by UC Irvine researchers.

Strokes are the No. 3 cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer. About 795,000 Americans suffer them annually, according to the American Heart Association, and more than 137,000 die as a result.

So should we be tickling our own whiskers? And what about women, who are less likely to have facial hair? While it’s too soon to tell if the findings will translate to humans, researchers say it’s possible, and stubble is not required. We have sensitive body parts wired to the same area of the brain as rodents’ fine-tuned whiskers. In people, “stimulating the fingers, lips or face in general could all have a similar effect,” says UCI doctoral student Melissa Davis, co-author of the study, which appears in the June issue of PLoS One.

(Excerpt) Read more at today.uci.edu ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: cva; health; medicine; stroke
Doesn't say anything about nose hairs.
1 posted on 07/13/2010 12:41:52 PM PDT by decimon
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To: neverdem; DvdMom; grey_whiskers

By a whisker ping.


2 posted on 07/13/2010 12:43:32 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon
And what about women, who are less likely to have facial hair?

Not so much after 50. :)

3 posted on 07/13/2010 12:45:00 PM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: decimon

I am curious whether there are studies that would show the comparative incidence of strokes in men with mustaches and/or beards to clean-shaven.


4 posted on 07/13/2010 12:51:55 PM PDT by NEMDF
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To: NEMDF

Looks to me that it’s not the whisker per se but the stimulation of some nerves. It would be a helluva thing if they discovered that you need merely rub your lips or pull your ear (or whatever) to minimize the destructive effects of the most common type of stroke.


5 posted on 07/13/2010 1:00:09 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon
And what about women, who are less likely to have facial hair?
Well, that is too bad. I, however, demand that socialized healthcare workers start stroking my whiskers regularly now!


6 posted on 07/13/2010 1:05:00 PM PDT by cartan
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To: decimon
Wait, wait, WAIT a minute.

I thought getting a stroke (or several) WAS stimulation.

b'sides, the missus seems to like it too...

(Sound of grey_whiskers purring...)

Cheers!

7 posted on 07/13/2010 4:41:39 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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