{"673469":{"#nid":"673469","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Itching for Answers: Liang Han Receives NSF Grant to Dig Deeper into Sensory Circuits","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe skin on our hands and feet collectively makes up roughly 5% of our surface area \u2014 at least, when it comes to our bodies. When you look at an important sensory area of the brain called the somatosensory cortex, which receives information about things like touch and pain from everywhere on the body\u2019s surface, that number jumps to about 30%.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/liang-han\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ELiang Han\u003C\/a\u003E recently received $550k from the National Science Foundation to uncover where in our nervous system that discrepancy in neural real estate might stem from.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe somatosensory cortex is like the output of the whole neural circuit \u2014 but the neural circuit takes multiple steps,\u201d explains Han, an associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cHow does this neural circuit generate such a biased representation, and exactly which neurons are involved?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPinning down which step in the neural circuit is causing areas like the hands and feet to take up so much of the somatosensory cortex may give us insights into how our sensory systems evolved \u2014 and where best to treat them when things go wrong.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EItching for answers\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe somatosensory cortex is on the surface of the brain and receives information from specialized sensors on the surface of the body about touch, bodily movement, pain, temperature, and itch. Though it\u2019s organized in a way that roughly matches our body\u2019s structure \u2014 areas receiving information from the feet light up next to areas sensing the legs versus the ears, for example \u2014 the surface area of the somatosensory cortex is heavily biased towards certain body parts, like the hands.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo find out where in the nervous system this bias originates, Han and her team are planning to examine the cellular mechanisms of one particular sensation: itch. Specifically, itch on glabrous (or hairless) skin, like that on the hands and feet.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ve been studying itch sensation for a long time, and our previous study identified a group of neurons that control glabrous skin itch sensation,\u201d says Han. Led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/haley-steele-84292b148\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EHaley Steele\u003C\/a\u003E, a former Ph.D. student working with Liang, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/itch-insight-skin-itch-mechanisms-differ-hairless-versus-hairy-skin\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eresearch\u003C\/a\u003E gave Han and her team the ability to isolate and study the neurons responsible for sending glabrous skin itch sensation all the way from the fingertips, through the spinal cord, and finally to the somatosensory cortex in the brain.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInterestingly for Han\u2019s team, recent data collected by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Yanyan-Xing\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EYanyan Xing\u003C\/a\u003E, a former postdoctoral researcher in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/klawson34.wixsite.com\/hanlab\u0022\u003EHan lab\u003C\/a\u003E, suggested that there were potential physical differences in the itch-sensing neural circuits for central body parts (like the torso) versus the overrepresented peripheral body parts (like the hands).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you ask me why we started this project, that\u0027s why,\u201d says Hand, \u201cbecause we saw that data and we thought, \u2018Oh, this is interesting.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGoing more than skin deep\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThose physical differences are just one potential piece of the puzzle. When it comes to the cellular origins of brain\u2019s sensory biases, there could also be more itch-sensing neurons in peripheral areas of the body, their physiology could be different, their signals could be amplified somewhere down the line (like in the spinal cord or brain stem), or it could be a combination.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing their previously developed tools to genetically label neurons specific to glabrous skin itch sensation in mice, Han and her team plan on studying all that \u2014 plus how these neural circuits develop over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur nervous system evolved in a way that our central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) allocated more neural resources to those distal (peripheral) parts of the body for sensory processing,\u201d explains Han. From exploring our environment to manipulating objects, having keen sensation in distal body parts like the hands and feet has been crucial for our survival. By understanding these sensory circuits, Han is hopeful that \u201cthis study will help us to understand how the nervous system evolved.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeyond gaining key insights into the sensory system, understanding this particular sensation may help improve treatments for chronic itch \u2014 an experience that roughly one in five people will have in their lifetime.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cItch is associated with so many different conditions,\u201d says Han. \u201cUnderstanding the basic mechanisms of the neural circuit will help us to eventually treat the condition.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research will be funded by the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2334697\u0026amp;HistoricalAwards=false\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENational Science Foundation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) reviews all research and teaching activities that involve vertebrate animal subjects. IACUC approval is required in advance for all activities conducted by faculty, staff, or students, regardless of location and funding source.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe School of Biological Sciences associate professor will be digging deep into itch-sensing neural circuits to gain insights into how the sensory system is wired \u2014 and where best to treat it when things go wrong.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The School of Biological Sciences associate professor will be digging deep into itch-sensing neural circuits to gain insights into how the sensory system is wired \u2014 and where best to treat it when things go wrong."}],"uid":"35575","created_gmt":"2024-03-12 14:31:13","changed_gmt":"2024-04-16 20:44:51","author":"adavidson38","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-03-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-03-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673365":{"id":"673365","type":"image","title":"School of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Liang Han (left) with members of her lab, including Laboratory Technicians Katy Lawson (center left) and William Hancock (right), as well as biology Ph.D. student Rossie Nho.","body":"\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Liang Han (left) with members of her lab, including Laboratory Technicians Katy Lawson (center left) and William Hancock (right), as well as biology Ph.D. student Rossie Nho.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1710261770","gmt_created":"2024-03-12 16:42:50","changed":"1710261576","gmt_changed":"2024-03-12 16:39:36","alt":"School of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Liang Han (left) with members of her lab, including Laboratory Technicians Katy Lawson (center left) and William Hancock (right), as well as biology Ph.D. student Rossie Nho.","file":{"fid":"256752","name":"Han Lab photo 2024.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/12\/Han%20Lab%20photo%202024.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/12\/Han%20Lab%20photo%202024.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3307240,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/12\/Han%20Lab%20photo%202024.jpeg?itok=K0rmMUQE"}}},"media_ids":["673365"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/itch-insight-skin-itch-mechanisms-differ-hairless-versus-hairy-skin","title":"Itch Insight: Skin Itch Mechanisms Differ on Hairless Versus Hairy Skin"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/itch-you-cant-scratch-researchers-find-itch-receptors-throats-mice","title":"An Itch You Can\u2019t Scratch: Researchers Find Itch Receptors in the Throats of Mice"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/scratching-out-new-clues-sources-certain-itch-sensations","title":"Scratching Out New Clues on the Sources of Certain Itch Sensations"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"191961","name":"somatosensory feedback"},{"id":"189893","name":"sensory cortex"},{"id":"187337","name":"glabrous skin"},{"id":"192253","name":"cos-neuro"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;Audra Davidson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["davidson.audra@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}