The most striking symptoms of depression are an acute sense of loss, inexplicable sadness, loss of energy, lack of interest in the world around, and fatigue. A disturbed sleep is a frequent occurrence. Other symptoms of depression are loss of appetite, giddiness, itching, nausea, agitation, irritability, impotence or frigidity, constipation, aches and pains all over the body, lack of concentration, and indecisiveness . . .
A loss of appetite, agitation, irritability make sense, but Itching? Scientists think they know why. Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina used magnetic resonance imaging to look at the brain activity of 13 healthy volunteers while they were scratched on a lower leg with a small brush. The study found that scratching muted activity in parts of the brain associated with unpleasant emotions and memories. What that means, says lead author Gil Yosipovitch, is that scratching may suppress the emotional connection to the itch, even if it's not addressing the cause.
The study, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, suggests it will take more than topical remedies to cure itchy skin. "The skin sends messages to the brain, and the brain sends them back. It's one of those marriages of body and mind," says Yosipovitch, a dermatologist. "You need to target the neuro system, not just the skin."
The study also showed increased activity in other parts of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, which is linked to compulsive behavior. That might explain why, once people start scratching, they can find it hard to stop.
No comments:
Post a Comment