Central control of body temperature and its alterations: fever, hyperthermia and hypothermia

Abstract

Introduction. In mammals, controlling body temperature is vital. Consciousness and motor control in humans occur at a temperature of 37°C and any deviation can alter the cellular properties, generating physiological dysfunctions. In species such as rodents (their surface area/volume ratio facilitates heat loss) they maintain basal temperatures close to 30°C. This is different with animals such as pachyderms, whose temperature is lower compared to humans. This article aims to Identify the physiological aspects of thermoregulation. Topics. Descriptive literature review of articles published in different databases. Thermoregulation is the body's ability to establish and maintain its temperature, regulating heat production and loss to optimize the efficiency of metabolic processes. The main actor in this process is the central nervous system and its neuro-hormonal control on multiple levels. The thermal regulating center is located in the anterior hypothalamus. It receives information from the receptors of large vessels, abdominal viscera, spinal cord and the blood that perfuses the hypothalamus. When the core temperature increases, the fhermoregulator activates efferent fibers of the autonomic nervous system, causing heat loss by convection and evaporation. When the temperature drops, the response is to decrease heat loss (vasoconstriction and less sweating); in addition, increase heat production by intensifying muscle activity. Conclusion. Thermoregulation is led by the hypothalamus, which regulates temperature increase and decrease by responding to the organism's need to reach homeostasis and compensation, facing the alterations of the ambient temperature.