Relief of itch by scratching: state-dependent inhibition of primate spinothalamic tract neurons.
Itch is relieved by scratching, but the neural mechanisms that are responsible for this are unknown. Spinothalamic tract (STT) neurons respond to itch-producing agents and transmit pruritic information to the brain. We observed that scratching the cutaneous receptive field of primate STT neurons produced inhibition during histamine-evoked activity but not during spontaneous activity or activity evoked by a painful stimulus, suggesting that scratching inhibits the transmission of itch in the spinal cord in a state-dependent manner.
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Steve
S
Davidson
Xijing
X
Zhang
Sergey G
SG
Khasabov
Donald A
DA
Simone
Glenn J
GJ
Giesler
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000882:Haplorhini; D006632:Histamine; D017442:Histamine Agonists; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011537:Pruritus / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation; D013133:Spinothalamic Tracts / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology
D017442:Histamine Agonists; D006632:Histamine