Thermoregulation

The following review made by Tancey and Johnson broadly presents the thermoregulatory process taking into account current advances in this area. First, they summarize the basic concepts of thermoregulation   and subsequently assess the physiological responses to heat and cold stress, including vasodilation and vasoconstriction, sweating, nonshivering thermogenesis, piloerection, shivering, and altered behavior. Current research is presented concerning the body’s detection of thermal challenge, peripheral and central thermoregulatory control mechanisms, including brown adipose tissue in adult humans and temperature transduction by the relatively recently discovered transient receptor potential channels. Finally, an updated understanding of the neuroanatomic circuitry supporting thermoregulation is presented.

Tansey EA, Johnson CD. Recent advances in thermoregulation. Adv Physiol Educ. 2015 Sep;39(3):139-48. doi: 10.1152/advan.00126.2014. PubMed PMID: 26330029.