Of course, all of us have experienced the feeling of hair standing on the skin in any event or situation. But you may be wondering, why is this feeling, let's not know the science behind it!
In ancient times, shivering was considered a way for animals to survive the cold. The tremors caused the hair follicles to stand up, causing air to get trapped between them, which acted as an insulator. While this works in the case of animals, shivering in humans does not save us from the cold.
Scientists have discovered that not only the cold environment, but also joy, sorrow, fear, excitement, pride, favorite song or art, anything wonderful can cause tremors. We are thrilled by the sudden flow of the adrenaline hormone, but scientists have discovered why the hairs on our bodies stand up during the thrill.
In a new study, scientists at Harvard University have discovered the cause; The type of cell we are excited about is also important for the growth of hair follicles and regenerating stem cells. The muscles under the skin that are involved in creating vibrations are also connected to the hair follicle stem cells through the sympathetic nerve. Sympathetic nerve responds in the short term to cold through muscle contraction and creates vibration, and its long-term response accelerates hair follicle stem cells and new hair growth.
The results of these studies on rats, published in the journal Cell, give researchers a better idea of how different types of cells interact with stem cells to connect with changes in the external environment.
"We have always been interested in how stem cell behavior is regulated by external stimuli," said Ya-Chih Hu, an associate professor of stem cell and regenerative biology and Esta Star. The skin is a wonderful system: it is surrounded by different types of stem cells, different types of cells that are located between our body and the external environment. So, these stem cells have different stimuli - they can also respond to the effects of the environment inside or outside the body. "
He led the study in collaboration with Professor Su-Jan Lin of the National Taiwan University. "In this study, we have identified an interesting fact that not only regulates stem cells in a stable state but also corrects the behavior of stem cells according to changes in outside temperature."
Our body parts are made up of three types of tissues: epithelium, mesenchyme and nerve tissue. These three tissues are present in the skin. Sympathetic nerve tissue is part of our nervous system. It is associated with the tiny smooth muscles of the mesenchyme layer of the skin, and these muscle fibers are the outermost layer of skin that is made up of epithelial tissue. The follicular stem cells in our hair are also part of the epithelial tissue.
Because there is a connection between the sympathetic nerve and the muscle tissue, signals from the brain reach the muscle through the sympathetic nerve in a cold environment or at any external stimulus. In response, we see our muscle hair stand out externally.
To see how the nerve connections to the hair follicle stem cells worked, the researchers removed the muscles attached to them, resulting in the removal of the sympathetic nerves and the loss of nerve connections to the hair follicle stem cells. Concluding from this, the connection of the sympathetic nerve with the hair follicle provides the necessary structural support to the muscle tissue.
While studying hair follicles, scientists found that these follicle stem cells are activated by nerve neurotransmitters, which regulate the growth of new hair.
"You can regulate hair follicle stem cells in a variety of ways, and these are great models for researching tissue regeneration," said Yulia Schwartz, a postdoctoral fellow at Hu Lab. “This particular response is conducive to tissue regeneration in the external environment ঃ such as changes in temperature. It’s a two-tiered response: shivering is a quick way to provide some relief in the short term. But when the cold weather persists, these cells work to grow hair. ”
We live in a constantly changing environment. Since the skin is always in contact with the external environment, it provides an opportunity to study how our body cells produce and respond to changes in the environment. Researchers are therefore hopeful that this research will play a significant role in future research.
Wow,, very good