CELL-CHANGES IN SOME OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC NUCLEI IN EXPERIMENTAL FEVER

Abstract

The entire brain stem was studied in 15 dogs and 4 rabbits following an exptl. fever produced by either a hypodermic or intrav. inj. of either typhoid or bronchisepticus toxin. Significant cell changes were noted only in 3 nuclei of the hypothalamus. The nucleus tubero-mammillaris was involved in every case. An avg. of 60% of the cells in this nucleus showed definite chromatolytic changes. A variable amt. of chromatolysis was found in the paraventricular nucleus and the basal optic ganglia in 14 of the 19 animals studied. The avg. no. of chromatolytic cells in these cases was 15.8% for the paraventricular nucleus and 12.6% for the basal optic ganglia.