Itch Away

 

Itching may seem like an involuntary habit that we perform multiple times a day, however, it is one of the many mechanisms our body uses to protect us. When something brushes against our skin, we go to scratch it, removing whatever foreign body was attached to us. However, our bodies seem to be able to tell between a mosquito biting at our skin and the clothes we wear. One causes us to scratch away, while the other has no effect.

              Recent research done on mice shows a specialized group of cells called inhibitory spinal interneurons. These cells can either allow the message from the skin to be sent to the brain or inhibit the message. The researchers breed mice to have a deficiency in these cells. These mice were observed to have uncontrollable itching, even causing fur loss due to their intense scratching. However, the mice only seemed to change their response to itching caused by an outside stimulus, ie: something brushing on the skin. Itching caused by an inflammatory response, ie: a rash, did not seem to change. This suggest that our bodies can distinguish between different stimuli that may be causing the itch.

              There are still many mysteries to be solved about the human body. This research helps get closer to understanding the complexities of our central nervous system.  Itching may seem like a nuisance at times, but it is an important response that helps keep our bodies protected and away from harms reach.

Sources:

Dempsey-Jones, H. (2015, November 2). What makes us scratch an itch? scientists finally have the answer. University of Oxford. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/what-makes-us-scratch-itch-scientists-finally-have-answer

Original research: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aac8653