Influence of ambient temperature in the process of replacement of nonshivering by shivering thermogenesis during postnatal development1

Journal/Book: Reprinted from FEDERATION PROCEEDINGS Vol. 25 No. 4 July-August 1966. 1966;

Abstract: Physiologisches Institut der Universität Marburg Marburg Germany 1 The investigation was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Br 184/4). FOR A LONG TIME temperature control of the neonate has been thought to be essentially characterized by shortcomings when compared with the adult system. During the last few years it has become evident however that the temperature control system is depending an the species more or less completely adjusted to the relatively large heat loss due to the smaller body size of the neonate. The most important factor in this adjustment is to be seen in the prevalence of nonshivering thermogenesis the heat-forming capacity of which has been shown to be larger than that of the shivering mechanism (3 6). That shivering or voluntary movements cannot account for the cold-induced heat production in the newborn infant has been already inferred from earlier studies (1 4. 19). Further evidence an the existence of nonshivering thermogenesis in the neonate has been obtained from a number of studies in newborn mammals (2 10 I I 11 17 18 22 and others) and in the newborn infant (11 16). It has been further shown that the multilocular adipose tissue brown fat, whose thermogenetic function was first demonstrated in the hibernator (24) also plays an important part in the neonate as a site of nonshivering thermogenesis (10 11). ... schö

Zurück | Weiter