Feel the Burn
The content you've requested is available without charge only to active Sigma Xi members, affiliates and American Scientist subscribers.
If you are an active member, affiliate or individual subscriber, please log in now in order to access this article. Be sure you've entered your member or subscriber number on your profile page.
If you are not a member, affiliate or individual subscriber, you can:
Abstract:
The seeming impossibility of "burning cold" isn't actually far-fetched, given that both cold and heat are sensed by molecular siblings—members of a cell-receptor family called the transient receptor potential, or TRP, channels. These membrane proteins detect temperature and certain chemicals, giving rise to neuron activity that corresponds to sensations of heat and cold. The same signals are integral to the perception of pain and our sense of taste for pungent compounds such as mustard, cinnamon, hot peppers and wasabi. Studying the biology of TRP channels and the neurons that bear them promises to reveal many of the mechanisms of physical sensation, including acute, inflammatory and chronic forms of pain.