Ah, that’s the spot: Why scratching brings relief

Oh, it brings such blessed relief and now scientists can tell you why. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, US scientists found scratching temporarily shuts off areas in the brain linked with unpleasant feelings and memories. They also found why one scratch often begets another. Scratching increased activity in the secondary somatosensory cortex, a pain center, and in the prefrontal cortex, which is linked with compulsive behavior.