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Do thermoregulatory reflexes pass through the hypothalamus?– studies of chronic hypothermia due to hypothalamic lesion
Author(s) -
Johnson R. H.,
Delahunt J. W.,
Robinson B. J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1990.tb01293.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hypothermia , reflex , shivering , thermoregulation , hypothalamus , lesion , anesthesia , blood pressure , surgery
A 38‐year‐old man presented with chronic hypothermia. He also had evidence of hypothalamo‐pituitary dysfunction and CT scans showed a discrete hypothalamic lesion. Thermoregulatory impairment was found although there was normal circulatory control of blood pressure. Reflex vasodilatation could be initiated when hypothermia was present and also in response to raised body temperature. Shivering was initiated reflexly but did not otherwise occur. These observations imply that thermoregulatory reflexes are independent of central thermoregulatory mechanisms and do not pass through the hypothalamus.