Why a good scratch quells an itch

There's nothing like a good scratch, but how does it take away the itchiness?... In people, a variety of stimuli, including chemicals like histamine, prompt sensory neurons to fire, sending a signal via the spinothalamic tract (STT) to the brain, prompting an itchy feeling.... scratching the skin caused the frequency of the firing to drop in some of the neurons, indicating that these are the ones targeted by scratching....