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What role does the dorsal horn of the spinal cord play in thermoreception?

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thermoreception in polar bears — Thermoreception Warm-blooded animals, such as polar bears, maintain stable body temperatures and adapt to substantial geographic and seasonal temperature fluctuations. Thermal adaptation is supported by the function of sensory structures called thermoreceptors.

In the physiology of thermoreception, the dorsal horn of the spinal cord serves as the initial site for processing thermal information within the central nervous system.1

Specialized neurons located within the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn receive convergent input from peripheral cold or warm thermoreceptors. By summating signals from a large number of these receptors across broad skin areas, these spinal neurons overcome the ambiguity of individual receptor responses, allowing for accurate temperature perception.12

These neurons are highly specific:
* Cool-sensitive neurons increase their discharge activity linearly as temperature drops, while being inhibited by warming.1
* Warm-sensitive neurons increase their activity linearly as temperature rises, while being inhibited by cooling.1

Once processed, this activity is transmitted to the brainstem to regulate autonomic functions or to the thalamus via the lateral spinothalamic tract to facilitate conscious sensation.12