Expression of fos in the hypothalamus of rats exposed to warm and cold temperatures.

Fos-like immunoreactivity was investigated in hypothalamic areas involved in central thermoregulatory processes. Different groups of urethane anaesthetized rats (n = 36) were exposed to: (1) 23.5 degrees C for 1 h (control); (2) 5 degrees C for 20 min (short cold); (3) 5 degrees C for 1 h (long cold); (4) 47 degrees C for 10 min (short warm) and (5) 47 degrees C for 1 h (long warm). Fos was present in the supramammillary nucleus, supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular hypothalamus of all (control and long and short, warm- and cold-exposed) rats. Fos was seen in the dorsomedial, medial and ventromedial hypothalamus of rats with long or short exposure to both warm and cold temperatures, and in the medial preoptic area and lateral anterior hypothalamus of long and short warm-exposed, and long cold-exposed, rats. Fos was present in the hypothalamus of long and short cold-exposed animals only in the posterior hypothalamus, and in the anterior hypothalamus (central and anterior divisions), suprachiasmatic nucleus and ventrolateral preoptic area of short and long warm-exposed rats. These results provide information on the location of neurons in rat hypothalamus activated by exposure to warm and cold temperatures and may aid in the functional identification of central thermoregulatory pathways.