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Neural circuits of long-term thermoregulatory adaptations to cold temperatures and metabolic demands

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 25, pages 143–158 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

The mammalian brain controls heat generation and heat loss mechanisms that regulate body temperature and energy metabolism. Thermoeffectors include brown adipose tissue, cutaneous blood flow and skeletal muscle, and metabolic energy sources include white adipose tissue. Neural and metabolic pathways modulating the activity and functional plasticity of these mechanisms contribute not only to the optimization of function during acute challenges, such as ambient temperature changes, infection and stress, but also to longitudinal adaptations to environmental and internal changes. Exposure of humans to repeated and seasonal cold ambient conditions leads to adaptations in thermoeffectors such as habituation of cutaneous vasoconstriction and shivering. In animals that undergo hibernation and torpor, neurally regulated metabolic and thermoregulatory adaptations enable survival during periods of significant reduction in metabolic rate. In addition, changes in diet can activate accessory neural pathways that alter thermoeffector activity. This knowledge may be harnessed for therapeutic purposes, including treatments for obesity and improved means of therapeutic hypothermia.

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Fig. 1: Neural circuits for the control of brown adipose tissue activity during acute cold exposure in rats that are non-obese and obese.
Fig. 2: Crosstalk between white and brown adipocytes during cold exposure.
Fig. 3: Neural circuits for the control of cutaneous vasoconstriction and shivering during acute cold exposure in rats that are non-obese and obese.
Fig. 4: Overview of the changes during repeated or long-term cold exposure.
Fig. 5: CNS cell groups implicated in hypothermia associated with hibernation and daily torpor.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all authors whose work in thermoregulation and related areas contributed to this Review. The authors also thank the editor and reviewers for their constructive suggestions, which helped us to improve our Review. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (DK112198).

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    Clarissa M. D. Mota & Christopher J. Madden

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Mota, C.M.D., Madden, C.J. Neural circuits of long-term thermoregulatory adaptations to cold temperatures and metabolic demands. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 25, 143–158 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-023-00785-8

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