[Movement of temperature waves across the cerebral cortex of the white rat]

In acute experiments on immobilized or anesthetized white rats the spatial distribution and dynamics of temperature on the dorsal surface of the cerebral cortex were investigated by the thermovision technique and digital image processing through the intact skull. Under certain conditions the appearance of moving thermowaves that spread over the cortex for 8-30 mm during 2-9 s with a rate of 2-10 mm/s was found. Among the trajectories of these waves the circular one was more common: it began in one hemisphere, spread in one or another direction, then went over to the second hemisphere, moved in the opposite direction and came back to the initial zone. Linear and semicircular trajectories were found as well with or without crossing from one hemisphere to the other. The mechanisms and possible functional significance of the effect are discussed.