A new technique for measuring thermoregulatory behavior in the rat.
A tracking procedure was used to investigate the ability of rats to regulate their ambient temperature. Rats were placed in a chamber with two levers; depressions of one lever controlled a cold-water flow (11 degrees C) and the other controlled the flow of hot water (57 +/- 1 degrees C). If it alternated responses, the rat could regulate temperature within these two extremes. With training, this regulatory behavior resulted in a narrow environmental temperature range that approximated normal body temperature.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D004777:Environment; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D051381:Rats; D013697:Thermosensing