Ticklish findings

Researchers in Britain found test volunteers predicted their own movements and mentally filtered out the sensations.

People cancel sensory information like this to avoid being overwhelmed by irrelevant external stimuli, the study suggested.

Researcher Paul Bays, of University College London, said the study could help explain some of the symptoms of schizophrenia.

He said: ''It seems people with schizophrenia have a problem with predicting the results of their actions.''

'Herald Sun', 19 January 2006