Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Scratch that itch!

Scientists have shown scratching helps relieve an itch as it blocks activity in some spinal cord nerve cells that transmit the sensation to the brain.
Previous research has suggested that a specific part of the spinal cord - the spinothalamic tract - plays a key role.
The latest work, in primates, found that scratching the skin blocks activity of nerve cells in the spinothalamic tract during itchiness - preventing the spinal cord from transmitting signals from the scratched area of skin to the brain

To all you guys out there, you should note that the effect only seems to occur during itchiness itself - scratching at other times makes no difference.

Especially first thing in the morning in the groin area….

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