Many hairy mammals, especially dogs, brush excess moisture from their fur after getting wet. Scientists are now getting closer to understanding the neural mechanisms behind “wet dog tremors.” Using laboratory mice, a team of researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School found that activation of specific mechanoreceptors in the skin causes this behavior. For more information on the survey results, please visit The study was published Nov. 7 in the journal science.
Wet dog shakes are an effective method. Removes moisture from fur and may also remove irritants, tangles, and parasites. It is especially effective on areas that are difficult for animals to lick and groom, such as the neck and back. Hairy mammals are over 12 types of sensory neurons And each has its own ability to detect and interpret different emotions, triggering reactions such as tremors. Although this behavior is fairly common in several species, the neural mechanisms behind it are not understood. almost unexplored.
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in new research, The research team focused on a type of ultra-sensitive touch-detecting receptor called . C-fiber low-threshold mechanoreceptors (C-LTMR). These receptors function by wrapping around hair follicles and are associated with pleasurable emotional touch.
First, the team Added multiple types of stimuli Sprinkle oil and water on the rat’s back and neck. After applying the stimulus, the researchers looked for responses from some mechanosensory neurons.
The team then genetically modified several mice. Removed most of C-LTMR. Removing these receptors stopped the mice from shivering, showing that these receptors are essential for controlling the senses that cause wet dogs to shiver.
Then they looked into How signals from C-LTMR travel through the mouse nervous system. They followed this path to a group of neurons in the spinal cord. This neural pathway is parabrachial nucleus– Areas in the brain that help process pain, touch, and temperature. The team then modified the neurons so that they could be switched on and off in response to light. It blocks the activity of spinal neurons and causes them to Map the paths followed by sensory neurons.
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Compared to control mice, engineered mice 58% reduction in camera shake. Similar results were obtained by blocking activity in the pain, touch, and temperature regions of the brain. Control mice continued to scratch and groom themselves normally. This suggests that this is a neural circuit specific to shivering in wet dogs.
According to the resultsC-LTMR is the key sensory player behind the wet dog shake. Future research on this common behavior could investigate whether excess C-LTMR worsens symptoms. Symptoms such as skin spasm syndrome in cats. This is when your cat suddenly tears its skin and twitches excessively. It may also be used to study skin hypersensitivity in humans.
