Researchers from Imperial College London have made a groundbreaking discovery about how humans perceive light touches through hair follicles. This challenges the conventional belief that only nerve endings in the skin and around hair follicles are responsible for transmitting such sensations. The study focused on the detection of touch within hair follicles, revealing that cells within these follicles have the ability to sense touch. Additionally, the researchers found that hair follicle cells release neurotransmitters, including histamine and serotonin, in response to touch.
This research has potential implications for understanding inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, as it sheds light on the role of histamine. The study also aims to unravel why hair follicle cells play a role in processing light touch, considering the abundance of sensory nerve endings within the follicles. The researchers are exploring whether hair follicles activate specific types of sensory nerves through an unidentified mechanism. It is known that sensory nerve endings in the skin detect touch and transmit signals to the brain, while hair follicles are adept at detecting hair fiber movement. There are also specialized sensory nerves, known as C-LTMRs, exclusive to hairy skin, which process emotional or “feel-good” touch.
To understand the touch-sensitive receptors in hair follicle cells, the study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing data from human skin and hair follicles. It was found that hair follicle cells have a higher percentage of touch-sensitive receptors compared to skin cells. By mechanically stimulating hair follicle cells in co-cultures with sensory nerves, the researchers activated adjacent sensory nerves.
Further investigation using a technique called fast-scan cyclic voltammetry revealed that hair follicle cells communicate with sensory nerves by releasing neurotransmitters such as histamine and serotonin in response to touch. Blocking the receptors for these neurotransmitters hindered the response to hair follicle cell stimulation. However, cells from the skin released histamine but not serotonin in response to light touch. The researchers emphasized that these experiments were conducted in cell cultures and further replication in living organisms is needed to validate the findings.
The study, recently published in the journal Science Advances, highlights the need for further exploration of the unique mechanism through which hair follicles communicate with sensory nerves, especially considering the presence of C-LTMRs in hairy skin. This discovery opens up new avenues for understanding human touch perception and has the potential to contribute to developments in the field of dermatology.
Overall, the researchers from Imperial College London have made significant strides in uncovering the hidden capabilities of hair follicle cells in processing light touch. Their findings not only challenge previous assumptions but also provide valuable insights into the intricate mechanisms of touch perception in humans.
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