Neural control of fluid homeostasis is engaged below 10°C in hibernation.

ABSTRACT: Thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) hibernate for several months each winter without access to water,¹ but the mechanisms that maintain fluid homeostasis during hibernation are poorly understood. In torpor, when body temperature (T_B) reaches 4°C, squirrels decrease metabolism, slow heart rate, and reduce plasma levels of the antidiuretic hormones arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT).¹ Squirrels spontaneously undergo interbout arousal (IBA) every 2 weeks, temporarily recovering an active-like metabolism and a T_B of 37°C for up to 48 h.^1,2 Despite the low levels of AVP and OXT during torpor, profound increases in blood pressure and heart rate during the torpor-IBA transition are not

SUBMITTER: Junkins MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11232715 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature