Searching for the cold feeling

Julie Steenhuysen

US researchers say the nerves take orders from a protein and send information back to a skeleton of a cold wind that cuts the skin or simply a breeze. This discovery sheds light on the question of how we feel the cold.

Previous studies have shown that cold-sensing neurons are specialized, some neurons recognize the feeling of cold bone, while others are more specialized with more pleasant feelings.

However, scientists at the University of Southern California found that, although most cold-sensing neurons use only one protein called TRPM8 , they can be detected very well. Many feelings.

Going in snowstorm in Quebec City, December 16, 2007. (Photo: Reuters)

David McKemy, who has a study published in the Neuroscience magazine, said in a phone interview: 'We all know when we are cold, we feel clearly. We will see a sharp pain spread quickly but only temporarily and smoldering '.

Other research groups have said that there are two different cold sensing neurons involved in this incident. McKemy said: 'There is a perception that there are neurons called fibers that recognize cold senses and other neurons that sense pain.'

He also hopes that the neurons produced by TRPM8 can identify cold sensations in many different states. To understand these neurons, McKemy conducted genetic dyeing with mice. The neurons that produce the protein will be fluorescent green, then he traces these fibers from neurons that feel close to the spinal cord to the nerves on the skin.

McKemy said: 'Research shows that these neurons produce only one type of protein, but they seem to be multifunctional. People also have the same ability. "

McKemy said, the TRPM8 protein-producing nerves account for about 75% of the number of neurons that recognize cold sensation. He believes there are other neurons that are specific to pain, such as when our skin is frostbitten.
Researchers learn about neurons that recognize cold sensations in order to understand the molecular mechanism of this feeling, thereby studying better drugs that reduce pain sensations.

McKemy said: 'If we understand the small but very basic and important mysteries of molecules and neurons, how they perceive normal pain, we can know why we see pain at times to avoid '.