Pain and itch are distinct sensations arousing evasion and compulsive desire for scratching, respectively. It’s unclear whether they could invoke different neural networks in the brain. Here, we use ...

A class of spinothalamic tract neurons is selectively excited by stimuli that cause itch, suggesting that this sensation is mediated by distinct peripheral and central pathways. The best-known inducer ...

Everyone knows that scratching relieves an itch–but how? Neuroscientists now say they’ve found part of the answer in a new study of macaque monkeys. Previous research has suggested that a specific ...