Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Introduction to temperature regulation -- Brief historical perspective -- Current research status of thermoregulation -- Why study laboratory rodents? -- Overview of temperature regulation in rodents -- Do rodents provide a suitable model for human thermoregulation? -- Neurology of temperature regulation -- Temperature sensitivity of the CNS -- Neurophysiological studies -- Neuropharmacological agents -- CNS lesions and temperature regulation -- Fever -- Metabolism -- Partitioning of metabolism -- Methods for measuring metabolism -- Basal metabolism -- Metabolism during hibernation -- Maximum (peak) metabolic rate -- Metabolic thermoneutral zone -- Physical factors affecting metabolism -- Thermoregulatory effector responses -- Peripheral vasomotor tone -- Metabolic (facultative) thermogenesis -- Evaporative heat loss -- Behavioral thermoregulatory effectors -- Motor activity as a thermoregulatory effector? -- Body temperature -- Partitioning of body temperature -- Core temperature -- Brain thermal homeostasis -- Thermal tolerance -- Circadian temperature rhythm.

(cont) Effects of psychological stress on body temperature -- Growth, reproduction, development, and aging -- Optimal thermal conditions for growth -- Effects of thermal stress on reproductive function -- Development of thermoregulation from birth to weaning -- Aging and thermoregulation -- Temperature acclimation -- Terminology -- Acclimation to cold -- Acclimation to heat -- Gender and intraspecies differences -- Gender differences -- Intraspecies differences -- Thermoregulation during chemical toxicity, physical trauma, and other adverse environmental conditions -- Chemical toxicity -- Hypoxia and ischemia -- Trauma and shock -- Hypergravity -- Regulated hypothermia: a generalized protective mechanism?

Rodents are the predominant experimental animals found in life-sciences research laboratories. The body temperature of a rodent is markedly affected by surgical, chemical or environmental manipulation. Because temperature regulation is controlled essentially by a 'holistic' regulatory system, meaning that its responses affect the activities of all other psychological and behavioural processes, it is clear that researchers working with rodents must be familiar with thermoregulatory physiology. With the help of extensive data tables and figures, this book explains the key facets of rodent thermal physiology, including neurological control and gender and intraspecies variations. There is a novel chapter on the effects of trauma, toxic chemicals and other factors. The book should therefore find use in government, academic or industrial laboratories whose researchers are working with rodents.