Blondin · Handbook of clinical neurology 2018 · narrative review · n=?

Shivering and nonshivering thermogenesis in skeletal muscles.

Cited 99 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review of physiological and neural mechanisms without systematic review methodology.

PubMed 30454588 · doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-63912-7.00010-2 · record verified 2026-08-29

What was done

This narrative review synthesizes the current understanding of shivering and nonshivering thermogenesis in skeletal muscle. It covers the governing neural circuits, metabolic fuel substrates, and in vivo assessment methods (combining indirect calorimetry with electromyography and biomedical imaging) across human and animal research.

What was found

The abstract reports no empirical data, sample sizes, or numerical outcomes. It provides a conceptual synthesis describing how skeletal muscles serve as the primary source of cold-induced heat production in humans through voluntary movement, involuntary shivering contractions, and nonshivering cellular mechanisms.

Why it matters

It provides a structural overview of the neuro-metabolic pathways regulating muscle-derived heat production, highlighting its relevance to metabolic, cardiovascular, and neuromuscular disorders.

Limits

The paper is a non-systematic narrative review with no primary data, quantitative synthesis, or defined literature search criteria reported in the abstract.

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