Hasina Posted December 27, 2012 #1 Share Posted December 27, 2012 (edited) Mysterious Itch Cells Found A mysterious source of itchiness has been found. Certain nerve cells are specialized to detect itchy sensations, and those receptors don't detect painful sensations, according to a new study. The finding, published Dec. 23 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, helps resolve a long-standing debate over whether itchiness is just a weird form of pain. Additionally, now that they have pinpointed the responsible nerve fibers, researchers could silence those nerves to develop better anti-itch treatments, said Ethan Lerner, a neuroscientist at Harvard University who was not involved in the study. "This is a very convincing piece of work," Lerner told LiveScience. Scientists "can perhaps target this particular type of nerve as a means of treating itch, but still allow you to experience the protective aspect of pain." Source: http://www.livescien...ells-found.html Edited December 27, 2012 by Hasina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashotep Posted December 27, 2012 #2 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I thought this was going to be about the mysterious 7 year itch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitchp Posted December 27, 2012 #3 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I really feel somewhat sorry for those lab mice. Can you imagine if that was you in the lab, being tested on. Yikes!~ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libstaK Posted December 27, 2012 #4 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I look forward to the breakthrough, I can throw away my back scratcher, finally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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