Effects of skin temperature on cold defense after cutaneous denervation of the trunk

In intact goats the core temperature threshold below which heat production increases with falling core temperature, is inversely related to the temperature of the water bath in which they stand and is therefore assumed to be indicative of the central integration of signals from skin and core temperature receptors. The present study shows that a difference in core temperature thresholds for bath temperatures of 35 degrees C and 40 degrees C persisted after denervation of about two-thirds of the skin of the trunk and limbs. Also, for a given combination of skin and core temperatures, heat production was as great or greater after cutaneous denervation as before. It is concluded that, following denervation of the trunk and upper limbs, intact temperature receptors in the non-denervated skin of the legs and tail, and/or also in tissues between the skin and core, provide important and significant inputs to the temperature regulating system. But these inputs cannot explain fully the thermoregulatory responses observed unless it is assumed that the thermosensitivity of these tissues increased.