Got an itch? well, scratch it.
February 17th 2008 21:19
Signature Tune
One scratch leads to another.
Scratching an itch temporarily shuts off areas in the brain linked with unpleasant feelings and memories.
Pain, including vigorous scratching, inhibits the need to itch.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to see which areas of the brain are active during scratching.
However, it was not a real scratch, just a simulated one. But it reduced activity in the cingulate cortex ( linked to pain aversion and memory )
The more scratching the less activity was found in these areas of the brain.
Suggestions are that scratching may dampen the emotional aspect of itch to bring about relief.
Scratching increased activity in a pain centre and an area of the brain linked with compulsive behaviour.
Maybe this explains the compulsion to itch.
Itch for kidney dialysis and eczema patients can be a chronic torment so every little bit of research can lead to clues as to how to treat the itching in such patients.
The study appears online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Meanwhile, for most of us, give your brain a break, if you have an itch, just scratch it.
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