Enhanced responsiveness to central prostaglandin E or neuropeptide Y in cold-adapted rats

(1) At their corresponding thermoneutral temperatures, cold-adapted rats, a s compared with their non-adapted counterparts, exhibited faster and greate r body temperature rises to intracerebroventricular injections of prostagla ndin E-1. (2) Similar injections of neuropeptide Y induced significantly gr eater food intakes in cold-adapted than in nonadapted rats. (3) Cold adapta tion is concluded to result in increased sensitivity/responsiveness of cent ral regulatory circuits to various stimuli, including hypersensitivity in t he regulation of both body temperature and food intake. (C) 2001 Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.