An itchy nose triggers sneezing, expelling irritants and pathogens
"The reason why we study the neural mechanisms behind sneezing is because many people sneeze due to seasonal allergies and viral infections
Sneezing is the most powerful and common way to spread respiratory infection droplets
The study established a mouse model, trying to determine which nerve cell sent the signal that caused the mouse to sneeze
By examining nerve cells that are known to respond to capsaicin, the research team identified a class of small neurons involved in sneezing caused by capsaicin
On the contrary, when they eliminated some of the NMD-sensitive neurons in the mouse nervous system that induced sneezing, they blocked the sneeze reflex
"Interestingly, none of these sneeze-inducing neurons are located in the brainstem that is known to be involved in breathing and respiration
The researchers also found that they can stimulate the sneeze reflex by exposing part of the mouse brain to NMB peptides
Since many viruses and pathogens are spread through mist droplets, researchers believe that restricting the sneezing of known infected persons by targeting NMB or its receptors may limit the spread of these pathogens
"A sneeze can produce 20,000 droplets containing the virus.
Liu believes that in order to prevent future virus outbreaks and help treat pathological sneezing caused by allergens, it is important to understand the pathways that cause sneezing to stop them
Related paper information: https://doi.
https://doi.
org/10.
1016/j.
cell.
2021.
05.
017
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