title: Ingestive behavior and body temperature during the ovarian cycle in normotensive and hypertensive rats.
abstract: The relationship between ingestive behavior (eating + drinking) and core body temperature (T(b)) in naturally cycling female rats was compared in a normotensive strain (Sprague-Dawley; SD) and a hypertensive strain reputed to have chronically elevated T(b) (spontaneously hypertensive rats; SHR). T(b) (by telemetry) and ingestive behavior (automated recording) were quantified every 30 s. Ingestive behavior and T(b) were related on all days of the ovarian cycle in both strains, but the strength of that relationship was reduced on the day of estrus (E) compared with nonestrous days. Several strain differences in T(b) were found as well. In SHR, dark-phase T(b) was elevated on E, whereas SD remained at the lower nonestrous values. Fluctuations in dark-phase T(b) were correlated with ingestive behavior in both strains but had greater amplitude in SHR except on E. Short-term fasting or sucrose availability did not eliminate elevated dark-phase T(b) on E in SHR. We propose that estrus-related changes unique to SHR may indicate heightened thermal reactivity to hormonal changes, ingestive behavior, and general locomotor activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Food, and Exercise Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1270, USA. rashotte@psy.fsu.edu
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rashotte
authors.forename: Allison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ackert
authors.forename: J Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Overton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000494:pharmacology; D004327:Drinking Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005215:Fasting / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013686:Telemetry
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose