"Researchers have mapped the complete pathway for sensing cool temperatures from skin to brain, revealing a spinal cord amplifier and raising new possibilities for treating cold-induced pain.
Scientists at the University of Michigan have identified a full sensory circuit that explains how the skin detects cool temperatures and sends that information to the brain.
According to the research team, this is the first time a complete neural pathway dedicated specifically to cool sensations has been mapped. The finding suggests that separate biological systems are responsible for sensing heat and cold..... more than 70% of people who have undergone chemotherapy experience pain caused by cool temperatures, Duan said. The new study found that the neural circuit responsible for sensing innocuous cool does not mediate this type of cold pain. But, in understanding how the cool-sensing circuitry works when it’s functioning properly under normal conditions, researchers now have a better chance of discovering what goes wrong in disease or injury. It could also help develop targeted therapies that restore healthy sensation without impairing normal temperature perception."
SciTechDaily
