The Neural Pathway of Heat Sensation – From Hand to Brain

The Neural Pathway of Heat Sensation – From Hand to Brain

The Pathway of Heat Sensation Transmission

After a grueling 12-hour shift, Tiana touches the water in her tub with her right hand to gauge its temperature. Sensing heat involves a complex yet well-coordinated pathway from her hand to her cerebral cortex.

Nerve Endings and Receptors

The initial heat detection begins at the nerve endings in Tiana’s skin. These specialized receptors, known as thermoreceptors, are sensitive to temperature changes. Specifically, free nerve endings are involved in detecting heat.

Peripheral Nervous System

The free nerve endings generate an electrical signal or action potential upon activation by the heat stimulus. This signal travels along afferent sensory neurons in the peripheral nervous system, conveying the signal from the thermoreceptors in the skin to the spinal cord through the dorsal root ganglia (Thau et al., 2022).

Spinal Cord and Ascending Pathways

Within the spinal cord, the sensory neurons synapse in the dorsal horn. The signal then ascends through the spinothalamic tract, a key pathway for transmitting temperature and pain sensations (Choi et al., 2020). The spinothalamic tract carries the signal through the spinal cord to the brainstem.

Brainstem to Thalamus

As the signal reaches the brainstem, it continues upwards to the thalamus. The thalamus acts as a relay station, processing sensory information and directing it to the appropriate regions of the cerebral cortex. The ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus is specifically involved in relaying the temperature sensation.

Cerebral Cortex

Finally, the signal reaches the primary somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex. This region is responsible for the conscious perception of sensory stimuli, including heat. Here, Tiana becomes aware of the temperature of the water, allowing her to determine if it is suitable for soaking her feet. Through this intricate pathway, the sensation of heat from Tiana’s right hand is efficiently transmitted to her brain, enabling her to gauge the water temperature accurately.

References

Choi, S., Hachisuka, J., Brett, M. A., Magee, A. R., Omori, Y., Iqbal, N.-A., Zhang, D., DeLisle, M. M., Wolfson, R. L., Bai, L., Santiago, C., Gong, S., Goulding, M., Heintz, N., Koerber, H. R., Ross, S. E., & Ginty, D. D. (2020). Parallel ascending spinal pathways for affective touch and pain. Nature, 587(7833), 258–263. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2860-1

Thau, L., Singh, P., & Reddy, V. (2022, October 10). Anatomy, central nervous system. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542179/

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Tiana has had a long hard day at work. After a 12-hour shift of being on her feet, she just wants to soak her feet and go to bed. Before sticking her legs into the tub, she touches the water with her hand to gauge the temperature. Trace the pathway involved in transmitting the sensation of heat from her right hand to the cerebral cortex. Make sure to include what type of nerve ending would be involved as well as what area(s) of the brain will the information be transmitted to.