It appears that the human nervous system is more complex than we know. In addition to the nerves in our skin that allow us to feel pressure, vibration, temperature and pain a fine network of nerves associated with small blood vessels and sweat glands appear to have the same functional abilities. It was previously believed that these nerves simply regulated blood flow and sweating. However, by studying people who were born without conventional nerve endings in their skin, scientists realized that even though their skin sensations were severely diminished, they still had adequate sensation for daily living. “Apparently, these unique individuals are able to ‘feel things’ through these remaining nerve endings. What we learned from these unusual individuals is that there’s another level of sensory feedback that can give us conscious tactile information”, said Dr. Frank Rice, a neuroscience professor at Albany Medical College. The study is published in the December 15 issue of the journal Pain. Could these nerves be associated with pain-related conditions such as migraines and fibromyalgia? Only time will tell. [via Science Daily]
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Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.