Abstract
Simple SummaryThe study of the hypothalamic neuromodulation of thermoregulation offers broad areas of opportunity with practical applications that are currently being strengthened by the availability of efficacious tools like infrared thermography (IRT). This review analyzes the effect of climate change on behavior and productivity; and the effects of exercise on animals involved in sporting activities; identifies the microvascular changes that occur in response to fear, pleasure, pain, and other situations that induce stress in animals; and examines thermoregulating behaviors.This review analyzes the main anatomical structures and neural pathways that allow the generation of autonomous and behavioral mechanisms that regulate body heat in mammals. The study of the hypothalamic neuromodulation of thermoregulation offers broad areas of opportunity with practical applications that are currently being strengthened by the availability of efficacious tools like infrared thermography (IRT). These areas could include the following: understanding the effect of climate change on behavior and productivity; analyzing the effects of exercise on animals involved in sporting activities; identifying the microvascular changes that occur in response to fear, pleasure, pain, and other situations that induce stress in animals; and examining thermoregulating behaviors. This research could contribute substantially to understanding the drastic modification of environments that have severe consequences for animals, such as loss of appetite, low productivity, neonatal hypothermia, and thermal shock, among others. Current knowledge of these physiological processes and complex anatomical structures, like the nervous systems and their close relation to mechanisms of thermoregulation, is still limited. The results of studies in fields like evolutionary neuroscience of thermoregulation show that we cannot yet objectively explain even processes that on the surface seem simple, including behavioral changes and the pathways and connections that trigger mechanisms like vasodilatation and panting. In addition, there is a need to clarify the connection between emotions and thermoregulation that increases the chances of survival of some organisms. An increasingly precise understanding of thermoregulation will allow us to design and apply practical methods in fields like animal science and clinical medicine without compromising levels of animal welfare. The results obtained should not only increase the chances of survival but also improve quality of life and animal production.
Highlights
Living beings have developed various adaptive mechanisms for the many alterations their environment may undergo depending on the place, time, or season in question
Since thermal stress affects the welfare and productivity of animals [27,28,31,32,33,34,35], studies designed to achieve a complete understanding of thermoregulating mechanisms using tools like infrared thermography (IRT) [25,26,27,28,29,35,36,37] would allow us to comprehend the effects that factors like climate change has on different species
The preoptic area (POA) contains warm-sensitive neurons that, upon perceiving an alteration, send a stimulus to the sympathetic preganglionic neurons distributed in the nucleus of the intermediolateral area of the spinal cord, which connects to the sympathetic ganglia responsible for innervating the blood vessels, cutaneous vessels and diverse glandular structures that participate in modulating hyperthermia [1]
Summary
Living beings have developed various adaptive mechanisms for the many alterations their environment may undergo depending on the place, time, or season in question. Like what occurs with the physiological mechanisms, thermal stimuli are detected by the afferent pathway that transfers the message to the spinal cord and cerebral cortex, influencing the level of perceived thermal comfort and the individual’s decision to gain or lose heat These thermoregulating behaviors entail goal-oriented actions learned through reinforcement, as was demonstrated long ago [14,15]. Since thermal stress affects the welfare and productivity of animals [27,28,31,32,33,34,35], studies designed to achieve a complete understanding of thermoregulating mechanisms using tools like infrared thermography (IRT) [25,26,27,28,29,35,36,37] would allow us to comprehend the effects that factors like climate change has on different species. This review, analyzes the main anatomical structures and neural pathways that allow the generation of autonomous and behavioral mechanisms that regulate body heat in mammals, information that can be used in related disciplines and areas of opportunity
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