Temperature Regulation in Laboratory Rodents

Description

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.

"This volume is one of the rare reference books that becomes useful the day it arrives in your lab...The more than 700 references for this volume are well selected and a valuable resource by themselves. Thermoregulation is a highly integrated and holistic area of physiology. Consequently, it is an 'orphan' branch of life sciences, and the relevant literature is scattered far and wide across time and among disciplines. The references reflect a scholarly search of the literature based on a career-long interest in thermal physiology. Another key ingredient for a useful reference volume is the index. Here again this book excels in providing a comprehensive index of key terms to direct readers to ideas that are often spread throughout the book...[W]ell illustrated with carefully selected and informative graphs and charts." Stephen C. Wood, The Physiologist