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Thermosensation

Thermosensation

Peripheral thermosensation is the perception of external temperature. A change in temperature (on the surface of the skin and other tissues) is detected by a family of temperature-sensitive ion channels called Transient Receptor Potential, or TRP, receptors. These receptors are located on free nerve endings. Those detecting cold temperatures are closer to the surface of the skin than the nerve endings detecting warmth. These thermoTRP channels, while temperature selective, have relatively...

Body Temperature

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The body's temperature, measured in degrees, is determined by the balance between heat production and dissipation to the surrounding environment. For instance, if exercising vigorously, the body will produce more heat, causing sweat and dissipating that heat. Despite extreme environmental conditions and physical exertion, the human temperature-control system maintains a constant core body temperature (the temperature of deep tissues, which are the tissues located beneath the skin and other...

Mechanism of heat transfer

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Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...

Mechanisms of Heat Transfer

Mechanisms of Heat Transfer

Heat transfer between the human body and its environment occurs through four main mechanisms: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation.
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...

Increased Body Temperature

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A body temperature above 38°C (100.4 °F) is known as fever or pyrexia, and a person with fever is termed 'febrile.' Typically, the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that acts as the body's thermostat, regulates body temperature through a thermoregulatory setpoint. It receives signals from cold and warm thermal receptors throughout the body and adjusts the body's temperature accordingly. Fever occurs when this hypothalamic setpoint is altered, usually in...

Thermoregulation

Thermoregulation

The human body has a sophisticated thermoregulation system that employs negative feedback mechanisms to maintain an optimal core temperature. When the core temperature drops, peripheral and central thermoreceptors send signals to the hypothalamus, activating the heat-promoting center. This center triggers several responses aimed at increasing the core temperature. First, vasoconstriction reduces the flow of warm blood from internal organs to the skin so that the heat is not lost from the skin,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects

Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects

Published on: January 14, 2009

Human heat sensation: A randomized crossover trial.

Stefan Heber¹, Felix Resch¹, Cosmin I Ciotu¹

¹Institute of Physiology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Science Advances

|September 4, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

In humans, only TRPV1 channels detect noxious heat pain, unlike in mice. Blocking TRPV1 only partially reduces heat pain, suggesting other pathways remain unidentified.

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Last Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects

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Published on: January 14, 2009

A Protocol of Manual Tests to Measure Sensation and Pain in Humans

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Published on: December 19, 2016

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Published on: July 27, 2022

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Pain Research
Molecular Biology

Background:

Noxious heat sensation in mice involves redundant receptors like TRPV1, TRPA1, TRPM3, and ANO1.
Previous models suggested similar redundancy in humans for heat pain detection.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the specific molecular mediators of heat-induced pain in humans.
To compare human heat pain mechanisms with those identified in rodent models.

Main Methods:

Development of an infusion-based human model for noxious heat pain.
Utilized antagonists targeting TRPV1, TRPA1, TRPM3, and ANO1 to probe heat sensation.
Administered heat stimuli and assessed pain perception in healthy participants.

Main Results:

In healthy humans, only TRPV1 (Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1) channels are involved in detecting noxious heat.
TRPA1, TRPM3, and ANO1 do not contribute to human heat pain detection.
TRPV1 inhibition caused a ~1°C shift in heat detection threshold, but significant heat pain remained unexplained at higher temperatures (up to 52°C).

Conclusions:

Human heat pain detection is not redundant, with TRPV1 being the primary mediator.
A significant portion of noxious heat pain in humans remains unexplained by the studied receptors.
Further research is needed to identify the molecular "safety net" for heat pain detection in humans, highlighting a key species difference.