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The coding of cutaneous temperature in the spinal cord
Chen Ran1, Mark A Hoon2, Xiaoke Chen1
1Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Nature Neuroscience
|July 26, 2016
Summary
Spinal cord neurons process skin temperature, with heat sensors encoding absolute temperature and cold sensors detecting changes. This reveals distinct heat and cold processing mechanisms in the spinal cord.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Biology
- Physiology
Background:
- The spinal cord is crucial for integrating peripheral sensory information, including temperature.
- Understanding how the spinal cord encodes thermal stimuli is essential for comprehending pain and temperature sensation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural coding of cutaneous temperature in the mouse spinal cord.
- To identify the specific neuronal populations and molecular pathways involved in heat and cold detection.
Main Methods:
- Utilized molecular genetics and in vivo calcium imaging in mice.
- Stimulated skin temperature and recorded neuronal activity in the spinal cord.
Main Results:
- Heating and cooling evoked robust calcium responses in spinal neurons.
- Heat-activated neurons encoded absolute temperature without adaptation, receiving input from TRPV1+ DRG neurons.
- Cold-activated neurons adapted rapidly and encoded temperature changes, receiving input from TRPM8+ and novel TRPV1+ DRG neurons.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated distinct mechanisms for heat and cold coding in the spinal cord.
- Identified specific dorsal root ganglion neuron populations (TRPV1 and TRPM8) that project to the spinal cord for temperature sensing.
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