title: Sensory neurons and circuits mediating itch.
abstract: Chemicals that are used experimentally to evoke itch elicit activity in diverse subpopulations of cutaneous pruriceptive neurons, all of which also respond to painful stimuli. However, itch is distinct from pain: it evokes different behaviours, such as scratching, and originates from the skin or certain mucosae but not from muscle, joints or viscera. New insights regarding the neurons that mediate the sensation of itch have been gained from experiments in which gene expression has been manipulated in different types of pruriceptive neurons as well as from comparisons between psychophysical measurements of itch and the neuronal discharges and other properties of peripheral and central pruriceptive neurons.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology and Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8051, USA.
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: LaMotte
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Xinzhong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ringkamp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D011537:Pruritus / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology