|
|
||||||||
Departments of 1 Psychology and 2 Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-1650
Daily torpor has never been reported for any rodent species during lactation. To test whether torpor and lactation are incompatible processes, we administered 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), a glucose analog that interferes with cellular glycolysis, to Siberian hamsters during the 2nd wk postpartum. 2-DG (2,500 mg/kg of body mass) induced torpor in lactating as well as nonlactating females. Although depth of torpor did not differ between groups, duration of torpor tended to be shorter in lactating animals. Evidence of new milk bands suggests that pups were able to obtain milk from torpid dams. By contrast, dams subjected either to a combination of brief food deprivation and subsequent food restriction or just food restriction failed to display torpor, but instead cannibalized one or more pups. We conclude that torpor is possible during lactation; whether lactating dams in nature become torpid in response to energy shortages or cannibalize or abandon one or more of their offspring remains unknown.
body temperature; thermoregulation; 2-deoxy-D-glucose; metabolic fuel; food restriction; lactation
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
J. Dark, D. A. Lewis, and I. Zucker Hypoglycemia and torpor in Siberian hamsters Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, March 1, 1999; 276(3): R776 - R781. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |