Effect of acute exposure to cold on the levels of corticosterone and pituitary hormones in plasma collected from free conscious cannulated rats.

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Abstract
To investigate the initial response of the pituitary and adrenal cortex function of rats acutely exposed to cold, a technique for cannulation was developed which allowed sequential blood collection from conscious and free rats. Two cannulae were inserted, one into the carotid artery used for collection and the other into the femoral vein for blood transfusion to keep the blood volume constant. Significant increases in plasma corticosterone and thyrotropin were evoked within 15 min after exposure. Plasma growth hormone decreased slightly and the prolactin level tended to fall by 1 h after cold exposure but the difference was not significant compared with control values.