Plasma glucose and insulin in the hibernating hedgehog.

Plasma glucose and insulin have been studied during lethargy and spontaneous arousal of hibernating hedgehogs. During lethargy, plasma glucose and insulin were low and showed no variation. Glucose and insulin injections given during lethargy showed no effects on plasma insulin and glucose respectively but confirmed a very low plasma clearance of glucose and insulin. During spontaneous arousal, the increase in plasma insulin occured before the increase in blood glucose and at about the time that utilization of blood glucose was restored.