A thermal signal generator probe for the study of neural thermal transduction.

The study of thermal transduction in neural tissues has been impeded by the lack of instrumentation able to generate complex, focal temperature variations. Specifically, we are interested in the study of neural thermal transduction within the cornea, with its homogeneous thermal conductivity and avascularity. We present a thermal signal generator probe that is capable of producing arbitrarily shaped bipolar (heating or cooling) thermal swings in a small volume of corneal tissue with which it is in contact. Heating and cooling of the probe tip are achieved by means of a Peltier effect thermoelectric device. The probe temperature, measured directly at the tip, is controlled using closed-loop control circuitry and waveform generation software on a host computer. Response characteristics of thermally sensitive C-fibers were investigated in an in vitro preparation of the rabbit cornea.