Chapter 2 - Peripheral thermoreceptors in innocuous temperature detection

Abstract

The mammalian skin is innervated by cold-sensitive afferent neurons. These neurons exhibit ongoing activity at temperatures between ~10 and 42°C, are activated by innocuous cold stimuli, inhibited by warm stimuli and are mechanoinsensitive. Their axons are small-diameter myelinated (Aδ-) fibers in primates and unmyelinated (C-) fibers in nonprimate mammals. The mammalian skin is innervated by warm-sensitive afferent neurons. The density of innervation by these neurons is lower than that by cold-sensitive afferents. They exhibit ongoing activity between ~38 and 48°C, are activated by warm stimuli, inhibited by cold stimuli, and are mechanoinsensitive. Their axons are unmyelinated (C-) fibers. Cold-sensitive unmyelinated afferent neurons exhibit prominent cold sensitivity of their axons (in rats). The discharge pattern of the cutaneous cold-sensitive afferent neurons is fully preserved after nerve injury. Ongoing impulse activity and cold-evoked impulses originate ectopically at the nerve injury site. Deep somatic tissues and viscera are innervated by thermosensitive afferent neurons. Most are warm-sensitive and mechanoinsensitive and have unmyelinated axons. These afferent neurons have only rarely and incompletely been studied, e.g., in the upper gastrointestinal tract, the liver (both vagal afferents), the dorsal abdominal wall, and the skeletal muscle. Spinal cord warm sensitivity may be mediated by cutaneous afferent neurons with unmyelinated axons that are excited by spinal cord warming.