Getting hot under the calyx

摘要

Most mammals are homeothermic, and finely tune their core body temperature within a narrow range (36-39degC). Unsurprisingly, brain function is temperature dependent and it is thought that brain cooling can ameliorate damage following trauma, such as stroke. A variety of structural and physiological properties of neurons are influenced by temperature, including spine morphology and motility, vesicular release of neurotransmitter, action potential generation, and the kinetics of neurotransmitter receptors and transporters (Klyachko & Stevens, 2006). However, a full description of the effects of temperature at central synapses is still missing. What is more, the majority of in vitro studies are conducted at room temperature to improve tissue viability and facilitate electrophysiological recordings. A drawback of this is that the interpretation of the results may not hold in the warmer surroundings of the functioning brain.