ROLE OF THE PROSENCEPHALON IN SHIVERING 
EXPERIMENTS 
EFFECTS OF DECEREBRATION 
ON SHIVERING 
Methods 
Aseptic decerebration surgery was performed on seven cats 
under pentobarbital sodium anesthesia (35mg/kg I. P.). Care was 
taken to preserve the blood vessels on the ventral surface of the 
brain. Figure 1 shows the gross aspects of such surgery and illus- 
trates the fact that the only connection between the prosencephalon 
and the lower brain is by virtue of the meninges. By preserving 
the ventral diencephalon, the hypothalamic-hypophyseal system can 
function relatively effectively, as evidenced by the preparations' 
lack of poly urea after surgery. 
After surgery the preparations were poikilothermic, and body 
temperatures were maintained artificially at 36 C to 38 C by 
appropriate alterations of environmental temperature. Forthe first 
three days after surgery, the preparations were given intramuscular 
injections of a mixture of streptomycin, dihydrostreptomycing and 
sodium and procain penicillin (0.5 cc I. M., Dicrysticin Fortis, 
E. P. Squibb and Sons, New York, N. Y.). They were daily fed by 
stomach tube, 150 cc of a homogenized mixture of meat and milk, 
were kept dry and clean and by frequent alteration of their relatively 
immobile postures, their "bed sores'" were kept in check. 
One to nine days post surgery, the animals 'oxygen consumption 
rates (VO 's) were determined over 20-minute periods with rectal 
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