New research on touch perception! It is not limited to nerves
Research has revealed that the act of touch is perceived not only through "mechanoreceptors," which are nerves sensitive to it in the skin, but also through hair follicles.
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According to a report by Science Alert, scientists from Imperial College London in the UK have conducted research on how the sense of touch is perceived.
SENSORY NERVES RESPOND WHEN HAIR FOLLICLE CELLS ARE MECHANICALLY STIMULATED
In this context, hair samples taken from male participants aged 23-54 were first examined using electron microscopy and RNA sequencing.
It was determined that the outer root sheath (ORS) of "hair follicles," which is the part of the hair remaining under the skin, has a higher proportion of touch-sensitive receptors compared to skin cells.
In the second phase, human hair follicle cells and sensory nerves were examined. Observations showed that when hair follicle cells were mechanically stimulated, sensory nerves also responded, and touch was perceived.
It was revealed that the ORS cells release serotonin and histamine neurotransmitters from vesicles to send signals to surrounding cells.
Finally, when the experiments were repeated using skin cells instead of follicle cells, it was observed that while skin cells also released histamine, the amount of serotonin released was much lower.
It was determined that hair follicle cells interact with "low-threshold mechanoreceptors" (LTR), which are particularly sensitive to light touches among the mechanoreceptors that enable the perception of touch.
Claire Higgins, one of the authors of the study, stated that it is still unknown why hair follicles take on this task during light touches and that they want to examine the relationship between hair follicle cells, which house numerous nerve endings, and sensory nerves.
The researchers emphasized that future studies on hair follicles and histamine, which is known to be associated with inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema, could help develop solutions or preventive treatments for these diseases.
The results of the research were published in the journal "Science Advances".