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Normal
Mouse |
Mouse
in Torpor Average systolic pressure = 82 mmHg Average diastolic pressure = 58 mmHg Average mean pressure = 70 mmHg Heart rate = 180 beats per minute |
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Very much unlike humans and rats (or anything larger than a mouse), mice enter a state of torpor in the face of low food supply and / or cold temperature. Torpor is when mice lower their metabolic rate immensely to conserve on metabolic stores (like fat). The result is a tremendous drop in body temperature, from 37° C (just like humans) to 1-2° C above ambient temperature. See the temperature profile of an animal in torpor below. Blood pressure and heart rate fall drastically in this evolutionarily conserved response to low food supply. Data were obtained during the night, their active period.
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Copyright
2002 Williams College
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