Transient receptor potentials (TRPs) are non-selective cation channels having a high Ca
2+ permeability. Since the first finding of TRPV1 that is opened by capsaicin, H
+ and heat (>43°C) in the peripheral terminal of primary-afferent neuron, various types of TRP such as TRPM8 and TRPA1 have been cloned. Thereafter, the TRPs have been found to be involved in the modulation of nociceptive transmission in the central terminal of the neuron. Recent studies have indicated an involvement of the TRPs in a plasticity of synaptic transmission in the central nervous system.
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