Scientists are trying to dwell into the strange relation between itch and pain. In a recent study published in the journal "Neuron", an itch has been determined by researchers as a way to block pain after a certain level is attained, terming it as the "braking system" in the body.
According to Medical Daily, pain detection systems need to be sensitive enough to protect the body from potential harm. As the study says, sometimes excess stimuli might cause tremendous pain and interfere with proper behavioral responses. The research also says that information about the sense of pain and itch both are sent through gastrin-releasing peptide, or GRP, which helps to regulate how the body is going to respond to the sensations. The researchers are of the opinion that feeling an itch can be connected to reduced pain.
The research also determines that the brake or the itch is triggered by only highly painful stimuli. A low or minimal amount of pain does not trigger the brake and the pain signal can go through. Though the system represents a way for creatures to still feel weak pain, the pain management provided by the brake can help an injured animal escape from a predator.
According to The Scientist, the research sets up a nice circuit in the spinal cord that can be explored further. There is going to be an obvious curiosity among the researchers to find the neurons that are next in line after the GRP neurons that encode pain or itch from the spinal up into the brain. The researchers plan to investigate on this further.
As GRP neurons don't project their axons to the brain, it is likely that the next relay station along the line of the sensory pathway is the spinal cord. However, there are doubts about the study results in minds of some researchers, who are of the opinion that it is too soon to dismiss selectivity in pain that induce the "brake".
The researchers say that decoding the sensory relationship between pain and itch can also be used in therapeutic applications. They also opine that if in chronic pain conditions, the neurons lose control of inhibiting strong pain, understanding that mechanism may lead to future treatments.
