When you scratch an itch, something tells your brain when to stop. That moment of relief, when scratching feels “enough,” is not accidental. Scientists have now identified a key molecular and neural mechanism behind this built-in braking system, shedding new light on how the body regulates itch and why this control fails in chronic conditions. The research will be presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco from February 21–25, 2026.
In a new study from the laboratory of Roberta Gualdani, professor at the University of Louvain in Brussels, researchers reveal an unexpected role for the ion channel TRPV4 in mechanically evoked itch.
We were initially studying TRPV4 in the context of pain. But instead of a pain phenotype, what emerged very clearly was a disruption of…