How brain neurons turn down the heat

Abstract

Neuroscience The preoptic area of the hypothalamus serves as the brain's thermostat. Song et al. found that a particular set of neurons mediate this function and identified the molecular heat sensor that they use (see the Perspective by Bartfai). Neurons in cultures of mouse brain that were activated in response to warming expressed temperature-sensitive TRPM2 ion channels. In mice lacking these channels, body temperature increased more in response to an induced fever than it did in control animals. In mice engineered to allow specific control of the TRPM2-containing neurons, the activity of the neurons was shown to modulate core body temperature. Science , this issue p. [1393][1]; see also p. [1363][2] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaf7537 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aai8465