Increased post-immersion afterdrop following B-adrenergic blockade

It is well established that, during the initial rewarming from mild hypothermia, core temperature continues to decrease before returning towards its pre-immersion state (I). This phenomenon is known as the afterdrop, and has been ascribed to circulatory changes at the periphery, as well as to continued core-to-periphery thermal conduction, both of which may account for continued central-body heat loss after removal from the cold (2,3,4). In a recent series of experiments, in which we studied interactions between cold-water immersion, B-adrenergic blockade, plasma leptin concentration, rewarming and skin blood flow control, we also investigated the afterdrop. Our observations have revealed that altered post-immersion metabolism can also contribute to the afterdrop phenomenon.