New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) New research has found that temperature sensitive nerve cells of the skin can sense both cool and warmth, challenging a widely accepted view that skin relies on separate nerve cells to detect each temperature.

Author Clarissa Whitmire, from Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland, Australia, said specialised nerve cells—called thermoreceptors—are critical to human survival, relaying to the brain what is happening at the body’s surface.

“Our study shows that rather than relying on two separate nerve cells to sense warmth and cool, the body’s thermoreceptors can signal both sensations to the brain—increasing activity in cooler conditions and decreasing when temperatures rise,” Whitmire said.

The findings, published in the journal Neuron, could help explain how ageing and disease can impair the body’s thermoreceptors, the author added.

In mice models, researchers tracked how thousands of thermoreceptor cells responded to cool and warm temperatures. The study focused on every day, ordinary non-painful temperatures such as entering cold rooms, or warm bathwater.

“Majority of thermoreceptors show activation to cool stimuli and suppression to warm,” the authors wrote.

Author Phill Bokiniec from the Queensland Brain Institute said the new understanding of the body’s thermoreceptors could inform treatments for people struggling with thermal dysfunction.

“Humans tightly regulate their core body temperature, making accurate temperature sensing critical to homeostasis—the body’s ability to maintain a stable internal environment,” Bokiniec said.

Aspects of thermal sensors may be affected among people living with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, diabetes or peripheral neuropathy, making it difficult to respond to environmental temperature changes, the author said.

“Ageing is also a significant concern—older adults are at risk in heat waves and climate change—and disrupted thermal sensors may contribute to why they struggle to regulate temperature,” Bokiniec said.