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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Sympathetic Pathways: Collateral Ganglia and Adrenal Medulla01:27

Sympathetic Pathways: Collateral Ganglia and Adrenal Medulla

The sympathetic pathways of the collateral ganglia and adrenal medulla serve unique but interconnected roles in the sympathetic response.
Collateral Ganglia
Sympathetic preganglionic axons reach the collateral ganglia along the route of splanchnic nerves. These nerves bypass the sympathetic trunk and communicate with sympathetic postganglionic neurons housed in the prevertebral ganglia. These ganglia supply the organs of the abdominopelvic cavity.
The greater splanchnic nerve, formed by the...
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Cheek Injection Model for Simultaneous Measurement of Pain and Itch-related Behaviors
04:59

Cheek Injection Model for Simultaneous Measurement of Pain and Itch-related Behaviors

Published on: September 27, 2019

Separate peripheral pathways for pruritus in man.

Barbara Namer1, Richard Carr, Lisa M Johanek

  • 1Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Erlangen/Nürnberg, Germany.

Journal of Neurophysiology
|June 20, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cowhage-induced itch activates specific C-fibers, distinct from histamine itch pathways. This research clarifies nonhistaminergic itch mechanisms by identifying unique neuronal targets for different itch stimuli.

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Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Cheek Injection Model for Simultaneous Measurement of Pain and Itch-related Behaviors
04:59

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Published on: September 27, 2019

The Sciatic Nerve Cuffing Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice
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Establishing a Mouse Model of a Pure Small Fiber Neuropathy with the Ultrapotent Agonist of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1
09:39

Establishing a Mouse Model of a Pure Small Fiber Neuropathy with the Ultrapotent Agonist of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1

Published on: February 13, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Dermatology
  • Pruritus Research

Background:

  • Itch sensation can be mediated by histamine-dependent or independent pathways.
  • The neuronal basis of nonhistaminergic itch, such as that induced by cowhage, remains largely unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine which specific nerve fibers in humans are responsible for mediating cowhage-induced itch.
  • To differentiate the neuronal pathways activated by cowhage versus histamine.

Main Methods:

  • Microneurography was used to record action potentials from cutaneous C-fibers in the peroneal nerve of healthy volunteers.
  • Mechano-responsive and mechano-insensitive C-nociceptors were tested for activation by cowhage spicules, histamine, and capsaicin.

Main Results:

  • Cowhage activated all tested mechano-responsive C-units (24/24) but no mechano-insensitive units (0/17), inducing itch.
  • Histamine induced itch and activated mechano-insensitive units (8/12) but elicited minimal responses in mechano-responsive units.
  • Cowhage and histamine activate distinct, non-overlapping populations of C-fibers.

Conclusions:

  • Cowhage-induced itch originates from superficial, mechano-responsive C-fibers, representing a distinct pathway from histamine-mediated itch.
  • These findings elucidate the neuronal mechanisms underlying nonhistaminergic itch, highlighting the differential activation of C-fiber populations by various pruritogens.