Effect of injury on shivering thermogenesis in the rat

1. Shivering in response to changes in ambient or core temperature has been measured in control rats and rats injured by bilateral hind-limb ischaemia, both with and without fur.2. Removal of the fur increased the threshold ambient temperature for the onset of shivering.3. This threshold was lower than in uninjured controls during the latter half of a 4 hr period of bilateral hind-limb ischaemia in rats with or without fur.4. The threshold was also lower than in uninjured controls after the period of bilateral hind-limb ischaemia but was not significantly different from that during the period of ischaemia.5. The alterations in threshold were not accompanied by any significant changes in the slope of the regression line relating intensity of shivering and ambient temperature.6. When the core temperature fell after limb ischaemia to levels which provoked shivering in uninjured controls, no shivering was seen in the injured rats.7. These results are interpreted as further evidence for the lowering of the ;set-point' for thermogenesis after injury in the rat and are discussed in relation to the changes in body temperature after injury in that species.