Thermoception

In physiology, thermoception or thermoreception is the sensation and perception of temperature, or more accurately, temperature differences inferred from heat flux. It deals with a series of events and processes required for an organism to receive a temperature stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal in order to trigger an appropriate response. Thermal stimuli may be noxious (posing a threat to the subject) or innocuous (no threat).^[1] The temperature sensitive proteins in thermoreceptors may also be activated by menthol or capsaicin, hence why these molecules evoke cooling and burning sensations, respectively.

A thermoreceptor may absorb heat via conduction, convection or radiation. However, the type of heat transfer is usually irrelevant to the functioning of a thermoceptor. Transient receptor potential channels (TRP channels)^[a] are believed to play a role in many species in sensation of hot, cold, and pain. Vertebrates have at least two types of thermoreceptors: those that detect heat and those that detect cold.^[4]

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