[Participation of the vestibular apparatus in regulating shivering].

Participation of the vestibular apparatus in the control of bioelectrical activity and function of muscle motor units was studied in experiments on cats with cold shivering. It was shown that the shivering was suppressed by limitation of the vestibulospinal effects whereas stimulation of the vestibular apparatus enhanced it. Suppression of the shivering after delabyrinthation manifested both in the increased frequencies of impulses in the active motor units and in the recruitment of new units, previously "silent". Participation of the vestibular apparatus in cold shivering control and the mechanism by which the animal's posture is formed thereby restricting the heat-release surface are discussed.