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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

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Protocol for Long Duration Whole Body Hyperthermia in Mice
Published on: August 25, 2012
Methods to produce hyperthermia-induced brain dysfunction
1Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Research, Department of Surgical Sciences, Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala University, SE-75185 Uppsala, Sweden. Sharma@surgsci.uu.se
Progress in Brain Research
|July 25, 2007
Summary
Killer heat waves cause severe illness and death. Researchers developed a new animal model to study heatstroke
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Neuroscience
- Toxicology
Background:
- Increasing frequency and intensity of global heat waves pose significant health risks.
- Heat-related illnesses lead to high mortality and long-term disabilities, including neurological dysfunction.
- Current understanding of heatstroke mechanisms and effective treatments remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a reliable animal model for inducing hyperthermia comparable to clinical heatstroke.
- To facilitate research into the physiological effects of heat-related illnesses.
- To enable the study of central nervous system (CNS) injury during hyperthermia.
Main Methods:
- Development and description of an animal model (rats or mice) to simulate clinical hyperthermia.
- Inclusion of methods to assess key indicators of brain injury, such as blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown and brain edema.
- Utilizing the model to investigate systemic and organ-specific changes induced by heat stress.
Main Results:
- A validated animal model for inducing and studying clinical hyperthermia has been established.
- The model allows for comprehensive examination of heat-related effects across various organs and systems.
- Specific methods for evaluating CNS damage, including BBB integrity and edema, are detailed.
Conclusions:
- The described animal model provides a crucial tool for advancing the understanding of heatstroke pathophysiology.
- This model will aid in the development and testing of therapeutic strategies for heat-related illnesses.
- Further research using this model is essential to mitigate the growing public health threat of extreme heat events.
Related Concept Videos
Homeostatic Imbalances in Body Temperature
Hyperthermia occurs when the body's temperature becomes unusually high, often due to heat exposure, intense physical activity, or certain illnesses. This condition can create a dangerous cycle where elevated body temperature increases the metabolic rate, generating more heat and potentially leading to organ failure and brain damage. A severe form of hyperthermia, called heat stroke, can raise body temperature to life-threatening levels. Fever, on the other hand, is a controlled form of...
Increased Body Temperature
A body temperature above 38°C (100.4 °F) is known as fever or pyrexia, and a person with fever is termed 'febrile.' Typically, the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that acts as the body's thermostat, regulates body temperature through a thermoregulatory setpoint. It receives signals from cold and warm thermal receptors throughout the body and adjusts the body's temperature accordingly. Fever occurs when this hypothalamic setpoint is altered, usually in response to an infection or illness.
Methods of reducing fever
The signs and symptoms of fever include hot and dry skin, flushed face, thirst, muscle aches, anorexia, headache, tachycardia, tachypnea, and fatigue. Elevated body temperature is reduced using two methods: pharmacological and nonpharmacological. Proper identification and treatment of the root cause of a fever is of utmost importance.
Pharmacological Methods of Reducing Fever:
Pharmacological Methods of Reducing Fever:
Thermoregulation
The human body has a sophisticated thermoregulation system that employs negative feedback mechanisms to maintain an optimal core temperature. When the core temperature drops, peripheral and central thermoreceptors send signals to the hypothalamus, activating the heat-promoting center. This center triggers several responses aimed at increasing the core temperature. First, vasoconstriction reduces the flow of warm blood from internal organs to the skin so that the heat is not lost from the skin,...

