title: Evidence of viscerally-mediated cold-defence thermoeffector responses in man.
abstract: Visceral thermoreceptors that modify thermoregulatory responses are widely accepted in animal but not human thermoregulation models. Recently, we have provided evidence of viscerally-mediated sweating alterations in humans during exercise brought about by warm and cool fluid ingestion. In the present study, we characterize the modification of shivering and whole-body thermal sensation during cold stress following the administration of a graded thermal stimuli delivered to the stomach via fluid ingestion at 52, 37, 22 and 7°C. Despite no differences in core and skin temperature, fluid ingestion at 52°C rapidly decreased shivering and sensations of cold compared to 37°C, whereas fluid ingestion at 22 and 7°C led to equivalent increases in these responses. Warm and cold fluid ingestion independently modifies cold defence thermoeffector responses, supporting the presence of visceral thermoreceptors in humans. However, the cold-defence thermoeffector response patterns differed from previously identified hot-defence thermoeffectors.
  
  
  
  Sudomotor activity is modified by both warm and cold fluid ingestion during heat stress, independently of differences in core and skin temperatures, suggesting independent viscerally-mediated modification of thermoeffectors. The present study aimed to determine whether visceral thermoreceptors modify shivering responses to cold stress. Ten males (mean ± SD: age 27 ± 5 years; height 1.73 ± 0.06 m, weight 78.4 ± 10.7 kg) underwent whole-body cooling via a water perfusion suit at 5°C, on four occasions, to induce a steady-state shivering response, at which point two aliquots of 1.5 ml kg-1(SML) and 3.0 ml kg-1(LRG), separated by 20 min, of water at 7, 22, 37 or 52°C were ingested. Rectal, mean skin and mean body temperature (Tb), electromyographic activity (EMG), metabolic rate (M) and whole-body thermal sensation on a visual analogue scale (WBTS) ranging from 0 mm (very cold) to 200 mm (very hot) were all measured throughout. Tbwas not different between all fluid temperatures following SML fluid ingestion (7°C: 35.7 ± 0.5°C; 22°C: 35.6 ± 0.5°C; 37°C: 35.5 ± 0.4°C; 52°C: 35.5 ± 0.4°C; P = 0.27) or LRG fluid ingestion (7°C: 35.3 ± 0.6°C; 22°C: 35.3 ± 0.5°C; 37°C: 35.2 ± 0.5°C; 52°C: 35.3 ± 0.5°C; P = 0.99). With SML fluid ingestion, greater metabolic rates and cooler thermal sensations were observed with ingestion at 7°C (M: 179 ± 55 W, WBTS: 29 ± 21 mm) compared to 52°C (M: 164 ± 34 W, WBTS: 51 ± 28 mm; all P < 0.05). With LRG ingestion, compared to shivering and thermal sensations with ingestion at 37°C (M: 215 ± 47 W, EMG: 3.9 ± 2.5% MVC, WBTS: 33 ± 2 mm), values were different (all P < 0.05) following ingestion at 7°C (M: 269 ± 77 W, EMG: 5.5 ± 0.9% MVC, WBTS: 14 ± 12 mm), 22°C (M: 270 ± 86 W, EMG: 5.6 ± 1.0% MVC, WBTS: 18 ± 19 mm) and 52°C (M: 179 ± 34 W, EMG: 3.3 ± 2.1% MVC, WBTS: 53 ± 28 mm). In conclusion, fluid ingestion at 52°C decreased shivering and the sensation of coolness, whereas fluid ingestion at 22 and 7°C increased shivering and sensations of coolness to similar levels, independently of core and skin temperature.
authors.affiliation: Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Nathan B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.|Centre for Environmental Design Research, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Filingeri
authors.affiliation: Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halaki
authors.affiliation: Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.|Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Ollie
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6076-6337
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Jay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004326:Drinking; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012768:Shivering / Q000502:physiology*; D013823:Thermoreceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D014781:Viscera / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: fluid ingestion; shivering; thermoreceptors; thermoregulation; thermosensation