Every human being would have experienced this phenomenon many a time in his/her life.
Scratching makes you itch more!
Researchers in the 'Center for the Study of Itch' of the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US have discovered the reasons for this commonly experienced phenomenon. Their experiments were conducted on genetically altered mice by which the interesting deduction has been arrived at.
The phenomenon.
Scratching an itch causes the brain to release the neurotransmitter - or chemical messenger - serotonin, which intensifies the itch sensation. Serotonin's role in controlling pain is already known but this is for the first time that it has been linked to itch, thanks to the new findings.
Scratching creates a small amount of pain in the skin which can interfere with itching - albeit, temporarily - by getting nerve cells in the spinal cord to carry pain signals to the brain instead of itch signals! And when the brain receives those signals, it responds by producing serotonin to help control that pain. But as serotonin spreads from the brain into the spinal cord, it's now been established that the chemical 'changes tracks', moving from pain-sensing neurons to nerve cells that influence itch intensity!
The researchers have also concluded that the itch and the pain signals are transmitted, within the body, through different yet, related pathways!!
Tailpiece.
And we thought that we knew all about our 'mysterious' body! Simply amazing!!
Scratching makes you itch more!
Researchers in the 'Center for the Study of Itch' of the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US have discovered the reasons for this commonly experienced phenomenon. Their experiments were conducted on genetically altered mice by which the interesting deduction has been arrived at.
The phenomenon.
Scratching an itch causes the brain to release the neurotransmitter - or chemical messenger - serotonin, which intensifies the itch sensation. Serotonin's role in controlling pain is already known but this is for the first time that it has been linked to itch, thanks to the new findings.
Scratching creates a small amount of pain in the skin which can interfere with itching - albeit, temporarily - by getting nerve cells in the spinal cord to carry pain signals to the brain instead of itch signals! And when the brain receives those signals, it responds by producing serotonin to help control that pain. But as serotonin spreads from the brain into the spinal cord, it's now been established that the chemical 'changes tracks', moving from pain-sensing neurons to nerve cells that influence itch intensity!
The researchers have also concluded that the itch and the pain signals are transmitted, within the body, through different yet, related pathways!!
Tailpiece.
And we thought that we knew all about our 'mysterious' body! Simply amazing!!
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