Do Peripheral Thermoreceptors in the Abdomen Modify Human Sudomotor Responses?

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that ingesting fluid of different temperatures results in different whole-body sweat losses (WBSL) and transient changes in local sweat rate (LSR) without any parallel differences in core or skin temperatures. The purpose of this thesis was to determine the potential location and relative contribution of gastrointestinal thermoreceptors that modify sudomotor activity. Eight participants cycled for 75 min while cold (1.5°C) and warm (50°C) water was either swilled in the mouth, or delivered directly to the stomach bypassing the mouth using a nasogastric tube, after 15, 30 and 45-min of exercise. Mouth-swilling warm or cold water did not alter sudomotor output, however delivering warm or cold water directly into the stomach led to a temperature-dependent change in sudomotor output, despite similar core and skin temperatures. These data indicate that thermoreceptors independently modulating sudomotor output probably reside within the abdominal area, but not the mouth.