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iam666 t1_j1kwyle wrote

Reply to comment by przyssawka in What specifically about ginger/menthol/wasabi causes one's sinuses to open? by Bartendiesthrowaway

What is a cold receptor? What stimuli does it measure, and why would a chemical cause it to misfire?

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przyssawka t1_j1l46ow wrote

>what is a cold receptor?

Aδ and C nerve fibers have a protein that responds to heat dissipation and triggers the “gentle cooling” effect. That protein is TRPM8 and on top of being activated by cold (due to part of the protein changing shape) it can also be activated by menthol and eucalyptol.

More on that here

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iam666 t1_j1l786h wrote

Thanks! It seems obvious in retrospect that protein folding is the mechanism here. Biochem was never my forte.

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