Sorting out stroking sensations: Biologists find individual neurons in skin that react to massage
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 - 16:01
in Biology & Nature
The skin is a human being's largest sensory organ, helping to distinguish between a pleasant contact, like a caress, and a negative sensation, like a pinch or a burn. Previous studies have shown that these sensations are carried to the brain by different types of sensory neurons that have nerve endings in the skin. Now biologists have identified in mice a specific class of skin sensory neurons that reacts to an apparently pleasurable stimulus.