Chronic itch is a debilitating symptom of inflammatory skin conditions, such as atopic
and contact dermatitis and dry skin, and affects millions of individuals worldwide.
There are currently no effective medications that directly and effectively suppress
itch itself. Understanding the mechanism of chronic itch and developing an effective
treatment is a major clinical challenge. Somatosensory information, including itch
from the periphery, is processed by neural circuits in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH)
[
[1]
]. Recent evidence has revealed the existence of a neuronal pathway selective for itch
processing [
[1]
]. However, the mechanisms underlying chronic itch are poorly understood. A recent
study has shown that mice deficient in the transcription factor BHLHB5 lose a subpopulation
of SDH inhibitory interneurons and display itch-related behaviors, including scratching
[
[2]
]. This behavioral phenotype reduces following transplantation of embryonic γ-aminobutyric
acid (GABA)-ergic precursor neurons into the SDH [
[3]
]. Thus, SDH inhibitory interneurons may play a role in chronic itch. However, whether
acute and specific stimulation of inhibitory interneurons that are intrinsically integrated
into SDH neuronal circuits alleviates chronic itch remains to be determined.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Dermatological ScienceAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Why we scratch an itch: the molecules, cells and circuits of itch.Nat. Neurosci. 2014; 17: 175-182
- Loss of inhibitory interneurons in the dorsal spinal cord and elevated itch in Bhlhb5 mutant mice.Neuron. 2010; 65: 886-898
- Transplant restoration of spinal cord inhibitory controls ameliorates neuropathic itch.J. Clin. Invest. 2014; 124: 3612-3616
- Engineered GPCRs as tools to modulate signal transduction.Physiology. 2008; 23: 313-321
- A directional strategy for monitoring Cre-mediated recombination at the cellular level in the mouse.Nat. Biotechnol. 2003; 21: 562-565
- A new minimally-invasive method for microinjection into the mouse spinal dorsal horn.Sci. Rep. 2015; 5: 14306
- Dynorphin acts as a neuromodulator to inhibit itch in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.Neuron. 2014; 82: 573-586
- Pruritus after intrathecal baclofen withdrawal: A retrospective study.Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2005; 86: 494-497
- Targeted ablation, silencing, and activation establish glycinergic dorsal horn neurons as key components of a spinal gate for pain and itch.Neuron. 2015; 85: 1289-1304
- Transmitters and pathways mediating inhibition of spinal itch-signaling neurons by scratching and other counterstimuli.PLoS ONE. 2011; 6: e22665
Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 03, 2017
Accepted:
May 25,
2017
Received in revised form:
May 12,
2017
Received:
February 14,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
