Affective touch reduces histamine evoked itch experience
Syed Hasan Ali, Nicholas Fallon, Timo Giesbrecht, Andrej Stancak, Carl A Roberts, Santosh Mishra, Santosh Mishra, Santosh Mishra

TL;DR
This study shows that gentle, slow touch can reduce the sensation of itch caused by histamine, suggesting a non-drug treatment for skin conditions like eczema.
Contribution
The study demonstrates that affective touch significantly reduces histamine-induced itch compared to other touch types and active control.
Findings
Affective touch significantly reduced itch severity compared to non-affective touch and active control.
There was no significant correlation between TEAQ/PVAQ scores and itch severity during affective touch.
Abstract
Itch is a commonly experienced symptom of skin diseases such as eczema. Topical corticosteroid medications are widely used in chronic itch conditions but can lead to skin thinning, and in certain cases, topical corticosteroid withdrawal. As such, non-pharmaceutical alternatives are being researched. The present research explored affective touch (slow stroking, gentle touch signalled by C-tactile afferents) as a strategy to reduce histamine induced itch. Whilst experiencing histamine induced itch on the volar side of the forearms/wrist, participants (n = 60) were subjected to 3 experimental conditions of modulatory somatosensation applied to the volar aspect of the same forearm relative to the site of itch induction (18 trials of each); 1) affective touch (stroking the forearm with a soft brush at 3 cm/s), 2) non-affective touch (stroking the forearm with a soft brush at 18 cm/s) and 3)…
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Taxonomy
TopicsDermatology and Skin Diseases · Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization · Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
