A neuronal pathway for the supraspinal relay of warm and cool sensation

Abstract

Cutaneous thermosensation is a fundamental sense allowing discrimination of external temperature changes and driving adaptive responses essential for survival and well-being. This sensory process begins with the activation of peripheral thermoreceptors, which encode the quality and intensity of thermal stimuli into neuronal activity that is further integrated by spinal cord circuits and relayed to supraspinal centres through the anterolateral tract (ALT). While classical experiments identified thermal responsive ALT neurons in the superficial spinal dorsal horn, the functional logic of innocuous temperature relay remains poorly understood. We show that, in mice, the majority of Phox2a-lineage lamina I ALT are selectively tuned to innocuous warming or cooling, and receive direct inputs from peripheral thermoreceptors. Their genetic ablation, chemogenetic or optogenetic manipulation impaired temperature discrimination. Our findings contrast with the previous finding that the majority of ALT neurons being mechano- and thermo-nociceptive and provide novel evidence for the existence of a large ensemble of genetically defined warming- and cooling- responsive ALT neurons. The large representation of innocuous temperature in supraspinal-relaying ALT neurons indicates substantial spinal amplification of thermal information and underscores the importance of innocuous thermosensation in the ascending sensory pathway.