TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Emma Bryce: Why do we itch?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

You're stanindg at the ready inside the goal when suddenly, you feel an itnsene itch on the back of your head. We've all experienced the annoyance of an inconvenient itch, but have you ever pondered why we itch in the first place? The average person erxceepines dozens of individual itches each day. They can be triggered by all sorts of things, including allergic reactions, dryness, and even some dieasess. And then there are the mysterious ones that pop up for no reason at all, or just from talking about itching. You're srcctanhig your head right now, aren't you? Anyhow, let's take one of the most common sources: bug bites. When a mosquito bites you, it releases a compound into your body called an anticoagulant that pnvertes your blood from clotting. That compound, which we're milldy allergic to, triggers the release of histamine, a chemical that makes our capillaries sewll. This enables increased boold flow, which helpfully accelerates the body's immune rnospese to this perceived threat. That explains the swelling, and it's the same reason pollen can make your eyes puff up. Histamine also activates the nerevs involved in itching, which is why bug bites make you scratch. But the itchy sensation itself isn't yet flluy understood. In fact, much of what we do know comes from studying the mechanics of itching in mice. Researchers have dsoeecvird that itch signals in their skin are transmitted via a subclass of the nerves that are associated with pain. These deictaded nerves produce a meulloce called natriuretic polypetide B, which treigrgs a signal that's carried up the spinal cord to the brain, where it creates the feeling of an itch. When we scratch, the action of our fingernails on the skin causes a low level pain saignl that overrides the itching stoniesan. It's almost like a distraction, which creates the sensation of rlieef. But is there actually an eiootvurlnay purpose to the itch, or is it simply there to annoy us? The ldanieg teohry is that our skin has evolved to be acutely aware of touch so that we're equipped to deal with risks from the outside world. Think about it. Our automatic scratching response would dodigsle anything harmful that's potentially lurking on our skin, like a hmfural sting, a biting insect, or the tendrils of a pouosnios pnlat. This might explain why we don't feel itching inside our bodies, like in our intestines, which is safe from these external threats, though imganie how maddening that would be. In some people, glitches in the pathways responsible for all of this can cause exsscieve itching that can actually harm their health. One extreme example is a psychological condition called delusory parasitosis where ppolee believe their bodies are infested with mites or fleas scurrying over and under their skin, making them itch incessantly. Another phenomenon called phantom intihcg can occur in patients who've had amputations. Because this injury has so severely damaged the nervous styesm, it confuses the body's normal nerve signaling and creates stieonsans in lbmis that are no longer there. Doctors are now finding ways to treat these itching anomalies. In amueteps, mirrors are used to reflect the remaining limb, which the pteanit scratches. That creates an illusion that tricks the brain into thinking the imaginary itch has been satisfied. odldy enough, that actually works. Researchers are also searching for the genes involved in itching and deopeinlvg treatments to try and bolck the pathway of an itch in extreme cases. If having an unscratchable itch feels like your own personal hell, datne agreed. The Italian poet wrote about a section of hell where people were punished by being left in pits to itch for all enrteity.

Open Cloze

You're ________ at the ready inside the goal when suddenly, you feel an _______ itch on the back of your head. We've all experienced the annoyance of an inconvenient itch, but have you ever pondered why we itch in the first place? The average person ___________ dozens of individual itches each day. They can be triggered by all sorts of things, including allergic reactions, dryness, and even some ________. And then there are the mysterious ones that pop up for no reason at all, or just from talking about itching. You're __________ your head right now, aren't you? Anyhow, let's take one of the most common sources: bug bites. When a mosquito bites you, it releases a compound into your body called an anticoagulant that ________ your blood from clotting. That compound, which we're ______ allergic to, triggers the release of histamine, a chemical that makes our capillaries _____. This enables increased _____ flow, which helpfully accelerates the body's immune ________ to this perceived threat. That explains the swelling, and it's the same reason pollen can make your eyes puff up. Histamine also activates the ______ involved in itching, which is why bug bites make you scratch. But the itchy sensation itself isn't yet _____ understood. In fact, much of what we do know comes from studying the mechanics of itching in mice. Researchers have __________ that itch signals in their skin are transmitted via a subclass of the nerves that are associated with pain. These _________ nerves produce a ________ called natriuretic polypetide B, which ________ a signal that's carried up the spinal cord to the brain, where it creates the feeling of an itch. When we scratch, the action of our fingernails on the skin causes a low level pain ______ that overrides the itching _________. It's almost like a distraction, which creates the sensation of ______. But is there actually an ____________ purpose to the itch, or is it simply there to annoy us? The _______ ______ is that our skin has evolved to be acutely aware of touch so that we're equipped to deal with risks from the outside world. Think about it. Our automatic scratching response would ________ anything harmful that's potentially lurking on our skin, like a _______ sting, a biting insect, or the tendrils of a _________ _____. This might explain why we don't feel itching inside our bodies, like in our intestines, which is safe from these external threats, though _______ how maddening that would be. In some people, glitches in the pathways responsible for all of this can cause _________ itching that can actually harm their health. One extreme example is a psychological condition called delusory parasitosis where ______ believe their bodies are infested with mites or fleas scurrying over and under their skin, making them itch incessantly. Another phenomenon called phantom _______ can occur in patients who've had amputations. Because this injury has so severely damaged the nervous ______, it confuses the body's normal nerve signaling and creates __________ in _____ that are no longer there. Doctors are now finding ways to treat these itching anomalies. In ________, mirrors are used to reflect the remaining limb, which the _______ scratches. That creates an illusion that tricks the brain into thinking the imaginary itch has been satisfied. _____ enough, that actually works. Researchers are also searching for the genes involved in itching and __________ treatments to try and _____ the pathway of an itch in extreme cases. If having an unscratchable itch feels like your own personal hell, _____ agreed. The Italian poet wrote about a section of hell where people were punished by being left in pits to itch for all ________.

Solution

people
standing
poisonous
mildly
patient
harmful
block
limbs
triggers
dante
prevents
diseases
dedicated
developing
eternity
relief
intense
dislodge
amputees
excessive
molecule
nerves
fully
response
leading
oddly
discovered
sensation
theory
itching
blood
plant
system
evolutionary
imagine
swell
experiences
signal
scratching
sensations

Original Text

You're standing at the ready inside the goal when suddenly, you feel an intense itch on the back of your head. We've all experienced the annoyance of an inconvenient itch, but have you ever pondered why we itch in the first place? The average person experiences dozens of individual itches each day. They can be triggered by all sorts of things, including allergic reactions, dryness, and even some diseases. And then there are the mysterious ones that pop up for no reason at all, or just from talking about itching. You're scratching your head right now, aren't you? Anyhow, let's take one of the most common sources: bug bites. When a mosquito bites you, it releases a compound into your body called an anticoagulant that prevents your blood from clotting. That compound, which we're mildly allergic to, triggers the release of histamine, a chemical that makes our capillaries swell. This enables increased blood flow, which helpfully accelerates the body's immune response to this perceived threat. That explains the swelling, and it's the same reason pollen can make your eyes puff up. Histamine also activates the nerves involved in itching, which is why bug bites make you scratch. But the itchy sensation itself isn't yet fully understood. In fact, much of what we do know comes from studying the mechanics of itching in mice. Researchers have discovered that itch signals in their skin are transmitted via a subclass of the nerves that are associated with pain. These dedicated nerves produce a molecule called natriuretic polypetide B, which triggers a signal that's carried up the spinal cord to the brain, where it creates the feeling of an itch. When we scratch, the action of our fingernails on the skin causes a low level pain signal that overrides the itching sensation. It's almost like a distraction, which creates the sensation of relief. But is there actually an evolutionary purpose to the itch, or is it simply there to annoy us? The leading theory is that our skin has evolved to be acutely aware of touch so that we're equipped to deal with risks from the outside world. Think about it. Our automatic scratching response would dislodge anything harmful that's potentially lurking on our skin, like a harmful sting, a biting insect, or the tendrils of a poisonous plant. This might explain why we don't feel itching inside our bodies, like in our intestines, which is safe from these external threats, though imagine how maddening that would be. In some people, glitches in the pathways responsible for all of this can cause excessive itching that can actually harm their health. One extreme example is a psychological condition called delusory parasitosis where people believe their bodies are infested with mites or fleas scurrying over and under their skin, making them itch incessantly. Another phenomenon called phantom itching can occur in patients who've had amputations. Because this injury has so severely damaged the nervous system, it confuses the body's normal nerve signaling and creates sensations in limbs that are no longer there. Doctors are now finding ways to treat these itching anomalies. In amputees, mirrors are used to reflect the remaining limb, which the patient scratches. That creates an illusion that tricks the brain into thinking the imaginary itch has been satisfied. Oddly enough, that actually works. Researchers are also searching for the genes involved in itching and developing treatments to try and block the pathway of an itch in extreme cases. If having an unscratchable itch feels like your own personal hell, Dante agreed. The Italian poet wrote about a section of hell where people were punished by being left in pits to itch for all eternity.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
bug bites	2

Important Words

accelerates
action
activates
acutely
agreed
allergic
amputations
amputees
annoy
annoyance
anomalies
anticoagulant
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immune
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itching
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mildly
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polypetide
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