Mice grooming (IMAGE)

Washington University School of Medicine

Mice grooming

Caption

Mice engage in grooming behavior, experiencing a phenomenon researchers call pleasant touch. Researchers from the Washington University Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders have identified a specific neuropeptide and a neural circuit that transmit pleasant touch from the skin to the brain. The findings eventually may help scientists better understand and treat disorders characterized by touch avoidance and impaired social development.

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CHEN LAB/WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

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