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Related Concept Videos

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

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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...
939
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

4.3K
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...
4.3K
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

4.9K
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...
4.9K
Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

36.5K
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.
36.5K
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

5.4K
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
5.4K
Nociception01:44

Nociception

27.8K
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.
27.8K

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Scratcher: An automated machine-vision tool for dissecting the neural basis of itch.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2025

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

12.2K

Neural pathways that compel us to scratch an itch.

Jagat Narayan Prajapati1, Prannay Reddy, Arnab Barik

  • 1Center for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India.

Journal of Biosciences
|July 8, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Scratching relieves itch by activating pain and itch pathways. This review details the conserved neural circuits for itch transmission from the skin to the brain.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Biology
  • Pruritus Research

Background:

  • Itch is a distinct sensation prompting scratching.
  • Understanding the neural pathways of itch (pruritogens) is crucial.
  • Recent advances illuminate itch transmission mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the genetically defined and evolutionarily conserved circuits for itch.
  • To explore how peripheral and central nervous systems process itch signals.
  • To discuss the interplay between itch and pain pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Review of molecular, physiological, and behavioral studies.
  • Analysis of genetically defined neural circuits.
  • Examination of evolutionary conserved pathways.

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Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays
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Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays

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Cutaneous Surgical Denervation: A Method for Testing the Requirement for Nerves in Mouse Models of Skin Disease
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Cutaneous Surgical Denervation: A Method for Testing the Requirement for Nerves in Mouse Models of Skin Disease

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 21, 2025

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

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Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays
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Recording Network Activity in Spinal Nociceptive Circuits Using Microelectrode Arrays

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Cutaneous Surgical Denervation: A Method for Testing the Requirement for Nerves in Mouse Models of Skin Disease
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Cutaneous Surgical Denervation: A Method for Testing the Requirement for Nerves in Mouse Models of Skin Disease

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Main Results:

  • Dedicated mechanisms transmit itch information to the brain.
  • Itch circuits span from skin neurons to cortical neurons.
  • Scratch-induced itch suppression involves concurrent pain and itch pathway activation.

Conclusions:

  • Neural circuits for itch are well-defined and conserved.
  • The relationship between itch and pain pathways is complex.
  • Further research into these circuits can inform itch management strategies.