Editing Thermoception (section)

{{Short description|Sensation and perception of temperature}}
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In [[physiology]], '''thermoception''' or '''thermoreception''' is the [[Sense|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 (physiology)|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 stimulus|noxious]] (posing a threat to the subject) or innocuous (no threat).<ref name="Tominaga">{{cite journal |last1=Tominaga |first1=Makoto |last2=Kashio |first2=Makiko |title=Thermosensation and TRP Channels |journal=Thermal Biology |date=2024 |volume=1461 |pages=3–13 |doi=10.1007/978-981-97-4584-5_1}}</ref> The temperature sensitive proteins in [[thermoreceptor]]s may also be activated by menthol or capsaicin, hence why these molecules evoke cooling and burning sensations, respectively.

A [[thermoreceptor]] may absorb heat via [[thermal conduction|conduction]], [[Convection (heat transfer)|convection]] or [[thermal radiation|radiation]]. However, the type of [[heat transfer]] is usually irrelevant to the functioning of a thermoceptor. [[Transient receptor potential channel]]s (TRP channels){{efn|name= trpChannels|The TRPV1 and TRPM8 receptors play key roles in the perception of heat and cold.<ref name="Nobel_2021a">{{cite web | work = The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet | url = https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2021/press-release/ | date = 4 October 2021 | title = Press release: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021: David Julius, and Ardem Patapoutian }}</ref><ref name="Nobel_2021b" />}} 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.<ref name=Johnson2008-p332-335>{{cite book | vauthors = Johnson JI | year = 2008 | chapter = 6.16 Specialized Somatosensory Systems, 6.16.2 Thermal Sensory Systems | veditors = Kaas JH, Gardner EP | title = The Senses: A Comprehensive Reference | volume = 6: Somatosensation | publisher = Elsevier | pages = 332–335 }}</ref>