Evidence of dynamic structural changes during hibernation in cerebral cortex.

<p>Heatmap showing hibernation-specific elevation of mRNAs involved in (<i>A</i>) plasticity and remodeling and (<i>B</i>) synaptic transmission in the cerebral cortex. <i>A</i> is divided into two broad categories: extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton. <i>B</i> is also divided into two categories: vesicle transport/release and receptors. October (OCT), Torpor (TOR) and IBA collection points are all shown relative to the April collection point (expression = 1). Each mRNA shown is differentially expressed in the cerebral cortex (FDR<0.05). The heatmap scale is provided on the upper right of <i>A</i>. Red colors indicate higher expression than April, while blue colors indicate lower expression than April. Transcripts labeled with an asterisk show the same differential expression pattern in hypothalamus as well. Gene names listed are HGNC designations. IBA: interbout arousal.