A vast diversity of salient cues is sensed by numerous classes of primary sensory neurons,
defined by specific neuropeptides, ion channels, or cytoskeletal proteins. Recent evidence
has demonstrated a correlation between the expression of some of these molecular markers
and transmission of signals related to distinct sensory modalities (eg, heat, cold, pressure).
Voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1. 8 has been reported to be preferentially expressed in
small-diameter unmyelinated sensory afferents specialized for the detection of noxious …