This review summarizes earlier studies of long-term heat acclimation (LHA) in rats. Since thermoregulatory changes of LHA are stable and sustained, persisting functional and morphological changes are expected to occur in the thermoregulatory centers. Heat exposure increases the number of newborn cells in the ependymal layer of the third ventricle. With time, these newborn cells migrate into the hypothalamic parenchyma and differentiate to immature or mature neurons, some of which integrate into hypothalamic neuralne tworks. The generation of new functional neurons in the hypothalamus may be an important mechanism of LHA.
Keywords: BrdU; aging; ependymal layer of the third ventricle; heat exposure; heat tolerance; neural network; neuronal progenitor cell; thermoregulation.