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- Title
Specificity of cold thermotransduction is determined by differential ionic channel expression.
- Authors
Viana, Félix; de la Peña, Elvira; Belmonte, Carlos
- Abstract
Sensations of cold are mediated by specific thermoreceptor nerve endings excited by low temperature and menthol. Here we identify a population of cold-sensitive cultured mouse trigeminal ganglion neurons with a unique set of biophysical properties. Their impulse activity during cooling and menthol application was similar to that of cold thermoreceptor fibers in vivo. We show that cooling closes a background K+ channel, causing depolarization and firing that is limited by the slower reduction of a cationic inward current (Ih). In cold-insensitive neurons, firing is prevented by a slow, transient, 4-AP-sensitive K+ current (IKD) that acts as an excitability brake. In addition, pharmacological blockade of IKD induced thermosensitivity in cold-insensitive neurons, a finding that may explain cold allodynia in neuropathic pain. These results suggest that cold sensitivity is not associated to a specific transduction molecule but instead results from a favorable blend of ionic channels expressed in a small subset of sensory neurons.
- Publication
Nature neuroscience, 2002, Vol 5, Issue 3, p254
- ISSN
1097-6256
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1038/nn809