The itch from bug bites, rashes, and other skin conditions can sometimes be so overpowering that it feels impossible to avoid scratching them. But new research explains why you might want to hold off ...

But there’s more to scratching than gating in the spinal cord. Deep brain structures stimulated by touch send signals back ...

Scratching is a natural response to irritation, but when it becomes a persistent habit, it may signal deeper psychological issues. While many dismiss frequent scratching as merely annoying, research ...

In the first study to use imaging technology to see what goes on in the brain when we scratch, researchers have uncovered new clues about why scratching may be so relieving -- and why it can be hard ...

Why does scratching an itch only make it worse? As it turns out, a brain-signaling chemical released in response to scratching has some unintended effects, scientists say. Scratching an itch provides ...

That irresistible relief from scratching an itchy rash comes from the mild pain it causes, which distracts the brain from the itch. This slight discomfort prompts the brain to release serotonin, often ...

Why do we scratch? Scratching in response to itching is both pleasurable and harmful. In skin conditions, particularly dermatitis, scratching creates a vicious cycle, intensifying the itch and ...

AI-enabled wearable sensors can significantly reduce nocturnal scratching in patients with mild atopic dermatitis through haptic feedback. The study demonstrated high accuracy, sensitivity, and ...

It feels like a biological blooper: A persistent itch is made worse by scratching, the one thing that provides instantaneous relief. Evolutionary biologists have proposed that the relationship between ...

Hell is an itch that can't be scratched. Dante understood this. In his Inferno, he describes a ditch in the Eighth Circle of Hell where alchemists, counterfeiters, and liars are subjected to the burn ...