Summary
Dynamic properties of thermoresponsive units at the caudal trigeminal nucleus are not modified by heat-rearing. The modification of the thermoregulatory system by heat-rearing is unlikely to be a consequence of altered thermoreceptive function at this level.
Rats were reared at ambient temperatures of 30°C (heat-reared) and 20°C (controls). Extracellular recordings of thermoresponsive units at the caudal trigeminal nucleus were made while the facial receptive fields of these thermoresponsive units were stimulated with 6 different rates of temperature change (+0.5, +0.1, +0.02, −0.02, −0.1 and −0.5°C/sec). All thermoresponsive units encountered were cold-sensitive. The static maxima were clustered around 13.5°C and did not differ between treatment groups. Dynamic maxima occurred at temperatures around 29–30°C and were not different in thermoresponsive neurones from the two treatment groups. There was no difference between the two treatment groups in the dynamic activity of trigeminal cold-responsive neurones at any of the 42 combinations of temperature and rate of temperature change examined.
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Young, A.A., Dawson, N.J. The dynamic properties of trigeminal thermoreceptors following heat-rearing in rats. Pflugers Arch. 401, 213–215 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583885
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583885