The world has changed since 1664, when French philosopher and scientist Rene Descartes first claimed the brain was responsible for feeling the sensation of pain.

However, a key question remains: How exactly does the human brain feel pain? Specifically, thermal pain—like that experienced when touching an open flame or a hot pan while cooking.

A team of researchers in the neurosciences department at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine think they’ve found an answer—that a neural circuit involving spinal neurons and a signaling pathway––are responsible for how burning pain is sensed.

They believe their discovery, published recently in the journal Neuron, could lead to more effective treatment for chronic, pathological pain—such as shooting, stabbing and burning pain—because it may involve the same signaling pathway.

“We know that heat, cold, pressure and itching stimulations to our skin result in appropriate feelings in the brain. However, the neurons encoding the heat signals in the spinal cord were unclear,” said Hongsheng Wang, study lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Medicine.

“Our study identified a group of interneurons in the spinal cord required for heat sensation. We also found a signaling pathway contributes to heat hypersensitivity caused by inflammation or nerve injuries.”

The study -

The brain controls everything we do, from our perception of the world around us to how we move our bodies and experience sensations. The process involves neurons, which are cells that act as messengers to transmit information between the brain and nervous system. The neurons send information through complex circuits throughout the body.

The research team looked at neurons in the spinal cord and their role in thermal pain by analyzing mouse models and their response to heated plates. During this process, the team identified the activation of a “novel,” or newly discovered, class of spinal cord neurons (called ErbB4+) that process heat signals to the spinal cord.

Sources - https://neurosciencenews.com/burning-pain-processing-20787/