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MEASUREMENT OF BEHAVIORAL THERMOREGULATION
Citation:
Gordon, C. AND R. Refinetti. MEASUREMENT OF BEHAVIORAL THERMOREGULATION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/A-92/166 (NTIS PB92217033).
Description:
The measurement of thermoregulatory behavior by the techniques of thermal gradient and operant conditioning allows the study of many parameters of the behavioral control of body temperature in particular species as well as the comparative study of thermo- regulatory capabilities of different species. In neuroscience research, these techniques provide a reliable dependent variable for the investigation of the action of specific neurotransmitters and the specificity of particular brain loci involved in the regulation of body temperature. uch of the current knowledge about the neural control of thermoregulatory behavior has been obtained by using thermal gradients and operant conditioning in conjunction with systemic and intracerebral injections of neuro- transmitters, local thermal stimulation of brain regions, and selective destruction of particular brain sites by electrolytic lesions.