A research team at National Taiwan University (NTU) discovered an unlikely connection between the physiological phenomenon known as goosebumps and the treatment of hair loss, publishing their findings on Thursday in the scientific journal Cell.
The team, led by Lin Sung-jan (林頌然), a professor at NTU’s biomedical engineering department, examined the effects of the sympathetic nervous system — which regulates some of the body’s unconscious actions — on hair follicle stem cells responsible for hair growth.
The researchers started by analyzing the phenomenon of goosebumps, a sympathetic nervous response involving the contraction of tiny arrector pili muscles, which causes hair to stand up straight.
This response helps insulate the body from temperature loss and serves as a vestigial reflex against perceived threats, Lin said.
While humans have evolved to have less hair than their prehistoric ancestors, the response made archaic humans seem larger and more imposing, Lin said, citing the way a cat’s fur stands up when the animal senses danger.
In its research, Lin’s team observed that sympathetic nerve responses activate hair follicle stem cells — something that is necessary to start the cycle of hair growth.
In people experiencing hair loss, the researchers found that arrector pili muscle reactions were mostly absent in the affected areas.
This suggests that the biological mechanism behind baldness was closely connected to the sympathetic nervous system, Lin said.
By examining this connection, Lin’s team discovered that sympathetic nerves near hair follicle stem cells formed structures similar to nerve synapses, which release adrenaline as a signal for the stem cells to become active.
The research team hopes the findings will contribute to the development of drugs that activate the stem cells, prompting them to regenerate hair, Lin said.
The article, titled “Cell Types Promoting Goosebumps Form a Niche to Regulate Hair Follicle Stem Cells,” was co-authored by the NTU researchers and teams from Harvard and Rockefeller universities in the US.
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