New Delhi: A study has uncovered a new way by which a cell in human body senses temperature, which researchers said could play a role in how the body differentiates between warmth from harmful heat.

Upon detecting heat in the environment, a sensor called 'TRPM3' located in the cell membrane -- the cell's outermost protective -- allows charged particles to enter, the team from Northwestern University in the US said.

The flow of charged particles in the cell generates nerve signals that the brain interprets as 'heat' or 'pain', they explained.

Because TRPM3 is also involved in pain, inflammation and epilepsy, the findings published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology may help develop non-addictive treatments for chronic pain, the researchers added.

Epilepsy is caused b

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