Selected temperature correlates with intensity of fever in rats

Fever is considered due to an elevation of the setpoint of body temperature. The temperature is regulated at a higher level and the higher temperature is established by activation of the heat-seeking thermoeffectors. However, it is surprising that, for this widely accepted hypothesis, there is little experimental evidence of the setpoint shifting to a higher level. The present study shows, for the first time, a significant correlation between the magnitude of the temperature rise in fever and the ambient temperature selected by rats in a thermal gradient.