Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Cheek Injection Model for Simultaneous Measurement of Pain and Itch-related Behaviors
Published on: September 27, 2019
Scratch and tickle: Divergent cutaneous sensations with common neurobiological roots
Nicole Khalil1, Elise Edwards1, Gil Yosipovitch1
1Miami Itch Center, Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.
Abstract:
Scratch and tickle are universally experienced mechanical sensations arising from activation of unmyelinated cutaneous sensory fibers and having served protective evolutionary functions. Scratching is a self-directed motor response to itch that becomes maladaptive in chronic pruritus (CP), whereas tickle depends on external stimulation and remains paradoxically pleasurable and noxious, shaped by context and overlapping pain-pleasure circuits. Both sensations are processed by somatosensory, limbic, and reward-related brain regions. Despite overlapping neural pathways, topographical hotspots for scratching pleasurability and tickle sensation vary considerably. Understanding shared pathways highlights knowledge gaps and opportunities for research of novel therapies for CP and skin dysesthesias.
Related Concept Videos
Sensory Functions of the Skin
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...
Somatosensation
Tactile and Chemical Senses
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Thermosensation

