Dermatology: Hair Has Something To Do With An Itch

Have an itch you just can scratch? Turns out, it might have something to do with the movement of your hair, according to a recent study.

The study results may help reveal insights into the potential mechanisms of chronic itch, which can result from a variety of health issues, including diabetic neuropathy, certain types of cancer, eczema and multiple sclerosis.

During the study, researchers eliminated the NPY neurons on the spinal cord of adult mice. A variety of neurons known as interneurons or "middlemen" process and relay information from the body--even including the skin, according to researchers. During this time, researchers found that some of the "middlemen" also express a small protein known as neuropeptite Y or NPY, in short. No one previously knew how NYP neurons interacted with the spinal cord-creating that chemical sensation that can come from a light touch.

One week after removing the inhibitory interneurons from the spinal cord of the mice, researchers found that they showed excessive scratching in response to even light touches without any effect on the response to chemically-induced itch or pain.

Researchers believe that this response may mean that NYP-deficient mice are no more sensitive than controls when it comes to touch and painful stimuli--showing that a light touch may indeed use its own pathway in the nervous system that evokes scratching. 

The study was published in the journal Science. 

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