Associative Tolerance to Repeated Heat Stress

Abstract

<p> Learning processes have been demonstrated to play an integral role in drug tolerance. More recently, researchers have found that associative mechanisms also play an important role in the adaptation to cold exposure (Riccio, MacArdy & Kissinger, 1991). The present study investigated the effect of contextual stimuli on temperature response to repeated heat stress. Rats receiving repeated heat exposures (56°C, 10 min, 6 trials) demonstrated adaptation to the heat as measured by a decrease in hyperthermia. The tolerance to the heat stress was not disrupted by changing the contextual cues associated with the heat. These findings demonstrate tolerance to repeated heat stress but do not provide evidence of associative learning in this adaptation. Future experiments should assess the question of thermoregulation and associative processes using highly discriminant conditioning environments.</p>