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Related Concept Videos

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.
Nociception01:44

Nociception

Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain. Thus, pain helps the...
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
Thermosensation01:43

Thermosensation

Peripheral thermosensation is the perception of external temperature. A change in temperature (on the surface of the skin and other tissues) is detected by a family of temperature-sensitive ion channels called Transient Receptor Potential, or TRP, receptors. These receptors are located on free nerve endings. Those detecting cold temperatures are closer to the surface of the skin than the nerve endings detecting warmth. These thermoTRP channels, while temperature selective, have relatively...
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...

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Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

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Altered sensory neuron activity in a mouse model of post-burn pain and itch.

Scientific reports·2026
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Altered sensory neuron activity in a mouse model of post-burn pain and itch.

Research square·2026
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Corrigendum to "Thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia elicited by histamine and non-histaminergic itch mediators: respective involvement of TRPV1 and TRPA1". [Neuroscience 449 (2020) 35-45].

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A subpopulation of projections from the parabrachial nucleus to the central amygdala mediates itch.

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Activation of NPY2R-expressing amygdala neurons inhibits itch behavior in mice without lateralization.

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Role of thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in thermal preference of male and female mice.

Journal of thermal biology·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 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

Neural processing of itch.

Tasuku Akiyama1, E Carstens

  • 1University of California, Davis, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.

Neuroscience
|July 30, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Researchers are exploring the neural mechanisms of itch, a growing medical concern. This review highlights recent advancements in understanding how the nervous system processes itch sensations.

Keywords:
5-HT5-HT receptor subtype 25-HT25-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin)AITCBAM8–22BLTDRGET-1ETA-1G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1 (GPBAR1)GRPGRPRGastrin-releasing peptideGastrin-releasing peptide receptorH1RIB4IL-31Interleukin 31K2PKvLPALTLTB4LTB4 receptorLTMRsLTPMIMOR1DMas-related G-protein-coupled receptorMrgprNGFNK-1NSNppbNpraOSMRPAFPAGPARPlatelet-activating factorRho-ROCKRho-associated protein kinaseSPSPCSTTTGR5TLR3TLR7TR4TRPA1TRPV1TXA2VGLUT2VcWDRallyl isothiocyanatebovine adrenal medullary peptide 8–22dorsal root ganglionendothelin receptor A-1endothelin-1histamine receptor-1isolectin B4itchleukotriene B4long-term potentiationlow thresholdlow-threshold mechanoreceptorslysophosphatidic acidmechanically insensitivemorphine receptor-1D isoformnatriuretic peptide receptor Anatriuretic polypeptide Bnerve growth factorneurokinin-1 receptornociceptive specificoncostatin M receptorperiaqueductal grayprotease-activated receptorpruritogenspruritusscratching behaviorsphingosylphosphorylcholinespinal cordspinothalamic tractsubstance Ptesticular orphan nuclear receptor-4thromboxane A2toll-like receptor 3toll-like receptor 7transient receptor potential ankyrin 1transient receptor potential vanilloid 1trigeminal caudalistrigeminal subnucleus caudalistwo-pore-domain potassium channelsvesicular glutamate transporter-2voltage-gated potassium channelwide dynamic range

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 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

Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin
07:51

Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin

Published on: December 30, 2025

Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays
11:28

Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays

Published on: February 9, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Dermatology
  • Sensory Biology

Background:

  • Historically, research has focused more on pain than itch.
  • Itch is increasingly recognized as a significant medical and socioeconomic problem.
  • Understanding the neural basis of itch is crucial for developing effective treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent progress in understanding the neural mechanisms of itch.
  • To highlight advancements in the rapidly evolving field of itch research.

Main Methods:

  • This is a review article, synthesizing existing research.
  • Focuses on recent findings in neuroscience and sensory biology related to itch.

Main Results:

  • Significant progress has been made in elucidating itch pathways.
  • New insights into the neural circuits underlying itch have emerged.

Conclusions:

  • The field of itch research is advancing rapidly.
  • Further investigation into neural mechanisms promises better management of itch conditions.