Do we have a thermostat in our body?
For our body to work properly the temperature of our body must be kept around. 97.6 ° F (36.4 ° C)
In order for our organism to work in a
The temperature of our body should be
To maintain around 97.6 ° F (36.4 ° C); Y
For this to be achieved you need the help
Of the biological thermostat, which is in
Our brain. This organ is known as
Hypothalamus.
The temperature of our body should be
To maintain around 97.6 ° F (36.4 ° C); Y
For this to be achieved you need the help
Of the biological thermostat, which is in
Our brain. This organ is known as
Hypothalamus.
How does it work?
The hypothalamus records the temperature of the blood
That passes through it and, if necessary, stimulates a
Change in diameter of blood vessels.
Suppose the internal temperature rises
Above normal, either by the environment,
Because that person has done a lot of exercise or
Have a fever, or simply because the digestion
Other normal processes of the organism have generated
Excessive heat.
That passes through it and, if necessary, stimulates a
Change in diameter of blood vessels.
Suppose the internal temperature rises
Above normal, either by the environment,
Because that person has done a lot of exercise or
Have a fever, or simply because the digestion
Other normal processes of the organism have generated
Excessive heat.
In that case, the hypothalamus stimulates a dilatation
Of the blood vessels in the skin, which increases
The flow of blood to the periphery, where
Dissipates If, on the other hand, the internal temperature
Low, cutaneous vessels constrict, the influx
Of blood to the surface is reduced and the body
Can retain its heat.
Of the blood vessels in the skin, which increases
The flow of blood to the periphery, where
Dissipates If, on the other hand, the internal temperature
Low, cutaneous vessels constrict, the influx
Of blood to the surface is reduced and the body
Can retain its heat.
Why should you protect yourself?
The head when it is cold?
Sometimes, when it is very cold, the circulatory system
Not enough to lead to extremities
All the blood they need to stay warm,
And that is why the fingers and toes
Feet, nose and ears become pale or take
A bluish tint.
Not enough to lead to extremities
All the blood they need to stay warm,
And that is why the fingers and toes
Feet, nose and ears become pale or take
A bluish tint.
Head and limbs need more
Blood when it is cold, but if the body does not
Has enough heat, adjusts the circulatory system
So that at least the brain receives
All that it requires at the expense of other tissues
Less important. Even when the nose and
Ears are frozen, the brain is at a
Almost normal temperature. If you are not wearing a
Hat or hat, you can lose a lot of heat
Through the top of the head. Of
Wearing a hat is the right thing to do, so the body
You can count on more heat to send it to the
extremities.
Blood when it is cold, but if the body does not
Has enough heat, adjusts the circulatory system
So that at least the brain receives
All that it requires at the expense of other tissues
Less important. Even when the nose and
Ears are frozen, the brain is at a
Almost normal temperature. If you are not wearing a
Hat or hat, you can lose a lot of heat
Through the top of the head. Of
Wearing a hat is the right thing to do, so the body
You can count on more heat to send it to the
extremities.
Discover the thermostat that controls fever
A particular group of hypothalamic neurons is the one that maintains body temperature.
For some time we were looking for something that allowed our body to regulate body temperature but until today we had not been able to find. Now a group of researchers has identified the mechanism by which the brain is able to maintain body temperature at the correct point for our well-being and to avoid overheating in case of fever.
A team of researchers from the University of Heidelberg has worked with mice to understand how the thermostat works. The same thing that happens to them is what happens to us in all probability. What they have seen is that in order to make this adjustment, a particular group of neurons of the hypothalamus plays a very important role . Its structure was already known to be involved in the regulation of temperature, but the details of the system's functioning at the molecular level were unknown.
In the study , published in Science , scientists describe how these neurons behave like true sensors , activating when the temperature exceeds the normal level of 37 ° C. This group of cells is able to limit the excessive increase of the fever induced by some Infection or inflammation. It is a kind of emergency brake to control the temperature so that it is useful to fight against viruses and bacteria but does not endanger the body or cause damage to the tissues.
A team of researchers from the University of Heidelberg has worked with mice to understand how the thermostat works. The same thing that happens to them is what happens to us in all probability. What they have seen is that in order to make this adjustment, a particular group of neurons of the hypothalamus plays a very important role . Its structure was already known to be involved in the regulation of temperature, but the details of the system's functioning at the molecular level were unknown.
In the study , published in Science , scientists describe how these neurons behave like true sensors , activating when the temperature exceeds the normal level of 37 ° C. This group of cells is able to limit the excessive increase of the fever induced by some Infection or inflammation. It is a kind of emergency brake to control the temperature so that it is useful to fight against viruses and bacteria but does not endanger the body or cause damage to the tissues.
The researchers also did some sort of counter-check to make sure they had found the exact switch to body temperature. What they did was to genetically modify the genes of the mice to "turn off" or "turn on" the genes involved in the functioning of these neurons. In this way they actually saw how the body temperature of the mice could be increased or decreased. This proved that the thermostat that regulates the temperature was just that.
You may also want to read the article to treat fever and other cold symptoms in cold and sore throat: lemon, honey and ginger .
In theory, being able to act on this internal "switch" of temperature could be good for health, for example to lower body temperature in cases where it may be useful. In fact there are already several clinical trials in which the ability to cool the body in case of severe trauma or stroke is being tested to see if the damage that occurs in the brain are lower. Remember that it is not easy to achieve because when you try to cool the body with something like ice or something cold the body tends to warm up to return to the temperature it had, and that often causes additional problems. That is why it is expected that the fact of being able to control the exact point that serves to raise or lower the temperature avoid this attempt to reheat the body when cooled.
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