ROLE OF THE PROSENCEPHALON IN SHIVERING 
Results . Table VI lists the oxygenconsumption rates and rectal 
temperatures of 9 intact cats while exposed to a temperature of 
24.5 C to 29 C air and while shivering in a temperature of C 
to 5 C air. The mean VO shivering/resting ratio was 2.7, range 
2.1 to 3.8 and standard deviation 0.5. The mean drop in rectal 
temperature during the 20-minute determination of V0„ in C to 
o o o o 2 
5 C was 0.8 C, range 0.2 C to 1.3 C, and standard deviation 
0.4 C. Expressed in other terms, the mean rate of rectal tempera- 
ture drop per unit time was 0.04 C/min, range 0.02 C to 0.07 C, 
and standard deviation 0.02 C/min. Table VI shows that on succes- 
sive days the ratio of VO shivering/resting was 2.4 and 2.6 for 
Cat No. 1 and 3.2 and 2.1 for Cat No. 2. In the former case the 
o 
rectal temperature drops were 0.2 C and 1.3 C and in the latter 
case 0.6 C and 0.8 C. These figures would indicate that the in- 
crease associated with shivering could vary from a two to fourfold 
increase in both the same or a sequence of cats. Additionally, the 
range in rectal temperature drops that accompanied the period of 
shivering oxygen consumption rates determination could vary by 
over 1 C in the same cat and a sequence of cats and that this 
variance was not necessarily correlated with the VO . It was not 
considered necessary to run additional tests on the other 7 cats to 
illustrate this point. This was because, in a previous stucty, the 
oxygen consumption rates of 7 cats were determined on successive 
days while they were shivering for the duration of time necessary 
to elevate their rectal temperatures from 33 C to 37 C. The 
determined ratios were as follows: 
Cat A: 4.1, 2.4, 4.4 and 2.1 
Cat B: 2.2, 2.8, and 2.5 
Cat C: 3.1, 2.9, 2.2 and 2.8 
Cat D: 2.1, 2.4, and 2.2 
Cat E: Pre midbrain lesion: 2.8 and 3.1 
Post midbrain lesion: 2.0 and 2.4 
Cat F: Pre midbrain lesion: 2.0 and 2.3 
Post midbrain lesion: 2.6 and 3.8 
Cat G: Pre midbrain lesion: 2.1 and 2.5 
Post midbrain lesion: 2.4 and 2.7 
In the above determination there was no significant correlation 
between the ratio and the time taken by the cats to elevate their 
o o 
rectal temperatures from 33 C to 37 C. On the basis of this, and 
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