Influence of early training to cold environment on some neuroendocrine patterns in adult rats

Experiments carried out on Wistar rats of either sex: controls; early trained to cold (day 1--30) and handled newborn rats, killed on day 105 show that cold exposure during neonatal period induces long-lasting changes, which persist during the adult life. The most important changes concern CNS metabolism (modifications of 32P-incorporation into cerebral phospholipids, phosphoproteins and nucleic acids) and thyroid function. The authors discuss the mechanisms of these changes and their biological significance.