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Mechanisms of adaptation to cold
1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.
International Journal of Sports Medicine
|October 1, 1992
Summary
Rats adapt to cold via enhanced brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. Humans show habituation to cold stress, reducing alarm responses and increasing tolerance without significant BAT changes.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Environmental Adaptation
- Thermoregulation
Background:
- Rats are a common model for cold adaptation research.
- Cold exposure in rats enhances brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis via the sympathetic nervous system.
- Human cold exposure shows attenuated shivering without compensatory heat production, suggesting limited BAT contribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of human adaptation to cold stress.
- To compare cold adaptation strategies in rats and humans.
- To explore the role of habituation in human cold tolerance.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cold exposure in rats and humans.
- Analysis of physiological responses to cold, including shivering and thermogenesis.
- Examination of the sympathetic nervous system's role in adaptation.
Main Results:
- Rats exhibit metabolic adaptation through increased BAT thermogenesis.
- Humans display habituation to repeated cold stress, characterized by reduced alarm responses.
- Human adaptation involves attenuated sympathetic nervous system activation and enhanced tolerance, not metabolic changes.
Conclusions:
- Human adaptation to cold is primarily through habituation, not metabolic enhancement like in rats.
- Habituation involves a decreased physiological alarm reaction to perceived non-threatening stress.
- This adaptive mechanism is observed in populations with regular cold exposure, such as outdoor workers.