Grant: Project Grant

Our ability to sense temperature is essential for survival, helping us respond to changes in the environment, like seeking warmth when it's cold or cooling down in the heat. When this system malfunctions, it can cause cold hypersensitivity, a condition in which even mild cold feels painfully intense. This is common in chronic pain patients with nerve injuries but remains very difficult to treat, largely because we do not yet fully understand how temperature signals are processed in the nervous system. This project will investigate how the spinal cord encodes temperature under normal conditions and how these coding strategies change after nerve injury. Using advanced functional imaging and behavioral testing with genetically engineered mouse models, we will record the activity of specific neuron types, determine their roles in temperature sensing and cold hypersensitivity, and map the circuits and molecules involved. The results will deepen our understanding of thermosensation and help guide the development of new treatments for neuropathic pain, with broader implications for health and adaptation to environmental changes.