News Neuroscience

Hair pulling prompts one of the fastest known pain signals

New experiments reveal how the pain of a pull travels to the brain

A young child pulls the hair of another child.

Scientists have uncovered the fast cellular machinery that carries the distinct pain of a hair pull.

susan.k./Moment/Getty Images Plus

By Laura Sanders

CHICAGO — Big news for fighting sisters: Scientists have found the sensors that signal the painful zing of a hair pull. And this pain message can rip along a nerve fiber at about 100 miles an hour, placing it among the fastest known pain signals.

The discovery, presented October 8 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, offers insight into the diverse ways our bodies sense and respond to different sorts of pain.