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touch

·January 23, 2023·8 min read

Origins of Pleasurable Touch Traced From Skin to Brain

Study reveals a skin-to-brain neural circuit that responds to rewarding forms of social touch. Researchers say the findings could provide an avenue for harnessing the power of touch to assist in treating social and emotional disorders.

Featured Neuroscience Pain

·December 2, 2022·5 min read

How Touch Dampens the Brain’s Response to Painful Stimuli

A simple act such as rubbing your temples when you have a headache can help to alleviate pain. Researchers say this is because pain-responsive neurons in the brain quiet down when these neurons also receive touch input.

This shows a mouse grooming another mouse

Featured Neuroscience

·April 28, 2022·5 min read

Neural Pathway Key to Sensation of Pleasant Touch Identified

Researchers have identified a specific neural circuit and neuropeptide responsible for relaying the sensation of a pleasant touch from the skin to the brain.

This shows someone handing over a gift box

Featured Neuroscience

·April 7, 2022·3 min read

What Shaking a Container Can Teach Us About Touch

Study sheds light on the human ability to understand how an object moves inside a container, revealing how different kinds of information can be conveyed via the sense of touch.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 23, 2022·6 min read

Gene Allowing Humans to Feel Touch May Play a Role in Sense of Smell

A gene commonly associated with the sense of touch may also play an important role in the sense of smell, researchers report.

This shows the structure of Flycatcher1, the protein discussed in the article

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 17, 2022·5 min read

Scientists Reveal How Venus Fly Traps Snaps Shut

Researchers have revealed the 3d structure of the Flycatcher1 protein channel which enables the Venus flytrap to close in response to prey. The findings shed light on how other mechanosensitive ion channels may operate in other plants, bacteria, and the human body.

This shows a man and woman holding hands

Featured Neuroscience

·October 11, 2021·6 min read

Unraveling the Mystery of Touch

Study provides a new understanding of the neuroscience mechanisms that make some parts of the body so sensitive to touch.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 24, 2021·5 min read

Evoking the Sense of Touch Through Brain Implant Electrodes

Using minimally invasive brain implants, researchers evoked the sense of touch in patients who had lost tactile sensations. The technique could be used to restore tactile sensations to those with paralysis and neuropathy.