News Neuroscience

Scratching is catching in mice

Brain structures vital to mouse contagious itching identified

an itchy mouse

MOUSE SEE, MOUSE ITCH  Like people, mice experience sudden itches after seeing other mice scratch — a boon for studying the neuroscience of contagious behaviors.

Diana Bautista/UC Berkeley

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

Catch sight of someone scratching and out of nowhere comes an itch, too. Now, it turns out mice suffer the same strange phenomenon.