Thermoreceptors

The 2021 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to researchers who discovered a receptor for heat and pain called Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). TRPV1 is a molecular sensor that animals use to sense temperature. Vampire bats use this molecule to sense heat with their faces. Scientists believe that TRPV1 helps us maintain our internal body temperatures. Many other thermosensing proteins also exist in our biology. TRPM8 activates in cold temperatures, in the 10–26°C range, for example.

Heat and mental health

The benefits of heat seem linked to long-term controlled heat exposure rather than one-off sauna sessions. This “habituation” may allow a body to progressively adapt and some scientists wonder whether the effect may ease the symptoms of mental health disorders. Ancient traditions of heat describe its effects as “euphoric.” And recently, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, began testing whether sauna use has antidepressant effects. The clinical trial was inspired by a surprising correlation between mood disorders and body temperature: People with depression tend to have higher body temperatures that vary less throughout the day. Experts don’t believe that body heat causes depression. But some wonder if regular, controlled heat could reset a patient’s dysfunctional thermoregulatory system and lessen their symptoms.

More from TED-Ed

Learn more about the thermoregulator response with TED-Ed lessons about heat stroke, extreme heat, and sweat.