Episode 13: The Neuroscience of Itch

Itch is... uncomfortable. We've all been there before, one motivated mosquito takes a bite out of you, and you are left with an itchy red spot for a few days that only scratching can temporarily relieve. Have you ever wondered how that sensation is transferred to the brain and processed? How about why pain, like pressing really hard on that mosquito bite makes the itching go away. If the answer to any of these questions is YES, come and take a listen to learn a little bit more about what's happening upstairs!

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Citations below:

Henley C. Touch: The Skin. openbookslibmsuedu. Published online January 1, 2021. https://openbooks.lib.msu.edu/neuroscience/chapter/touch-the-skin/#:~:text=with%20the%20skin.-

‌Feher J. 4.3 - Cutaneous Sensory Systems. ScienceDirect. Published January 1, 2012. Accessed March 13, 2022. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128008836000355

Ringkamp M, Meyer R. Pruriceptors. PubMed. Published 2014. Accessed March 13, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK200917/

Schmelz M. Itch Processing in the Skin. Frontiers in Medicine. 2019;6. doi:10.3389/fmed.2019.00167

Ikoma A, Cevikbas F, Kempkes C, Steinhoff M. Anatomy and Neurophysiology of Pruritus. Seminars in cutaneous medicine and surgery. 2011;30(2):64-70. doi:10.1016/j.sder.2011.04.001

Potenzieri C, Undem BJ. Basic mechanisms of itch. Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 2011;42(1):8-19. doi:10.1111/1. 

Shim W-S, Oh U. Histamine-Induced Itch and its Relationship with Pain. Molecular Pain. 2008;4:1744-80694-29. doi:10.1186/1744-8069-4-29j.1365-2222.2011.03791.x

Forster C, Handwerker HO. Central Nervous Processing of Itch and Pain. PubMed. Published 2014. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK200926/

Papoiu ADP, Coghill RC, Kraft RA, Wang H, Yosipovitch G. A Tale of Two Itches. Common Features and Notable Differences in Brain Activation Evoked by Cowhage And Histamine Induced Itch. Neuroimage. 2012;59(4):3611-3623. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.10.099

Ishiuji Y. Addiction and the itch‐scratch cycle. What do they have in common? Experimental Dermatology. 2019;28(12):1448-1454. doi:10.1111/exd.14029