In the Rijnhuizen Tokamak Project (RTP) plasmas with electron cyclotron heating(ECH), a transient rise of the core Teis observed when hydrogen pellets are injectedtangentially to induce fast cooling of the peripheral region.The core Te rise is a sharp functionof the normalized power deposition radius (ρdep).The strongest effect (δTe up to 80%) is observed whenρdep isjust inside the q = 1 surface, whereas only modest effects areseen with larger or smaller ρdep.The rise is due to both a steepening of the Te profile betweenthe q = 1 and q = 2 surfaces, and a peaking inside ρdep.