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Related Experiment Videos

Comparison between two rat sympathetic pathways activated in cold defense.

Youichirou Ootsuka1, Robin M McAllen

  • 1Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology
|April 8, 2006
PubMed
Summary
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Sympathetic nerve activity for tail vasoconstriction and brown fat thermogenesis during cold defense are driven by independent brain pathways. These distinct neural circuits control separate physiological responses to cold.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Physiology
  • Thermoregulation

Background:

  • Sympathetic nerves control tail vasoconstriction and brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis during cold defense and fever.
  • These responses originate from neurons in the rostral medullary raphé.
  • Understanding the commonality of brain circuits driving these sympathetic outflows is crucial for cold defense mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether independent central pathways drive cutaneous vasoconstrictor and thermogenic sympathetic pathways during cold defense.
  • To compare the activation thresholds and sensitivities of tail sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) SNA to skin and core cooling.

Main Methods:

  • Simultaneous recording of tail SNA and iBAT SNA in urethane-anesthetized rats.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Evoking cold-defense responses by circulating cold water around the animal's trunk.
  • Analyzing the relationship between skin temperature, core temperature, and sympathetic nerve activity.

    • Main Results:

    • iBAT SNA activation threshold to skin cooling was significantly lower than tail SNA activation threshold.
    • Core cooling strongly activated tail SNA but had a weaker or absent effect on iBAT SNA.
    • Coherence between tail SNA and iBAT SNA was solely due to the ventilatory cycle, indicating independent central control.

    Conclusions:

    • Cutaneous vasoconstrictor and thermogenic sympathetic pathways are driven by independent central pathways during cold defense.
    • Differential activation and sensitivity to cooling stimuli suggest distinct neural control mechanisms.
    • These findings elucidate the complex neural circuitry underlying thermoregulation.