The female hormone estradiol helps suppress itch associated with psoriasis. The findings shed light on why men are more prone to psoriasis and offers hope for new targeted treatment for itch disorders.
Study identifies a specific protein in sensory neurons that detects mechanical itch stimuli such as an insect crawling on the skin or when one touches an object that irritates the skin.
Researchers have identified significant differences in the mechanisms of chronic itch between hairy and non-hairy areas of the skin.
A new case study reveals medical marijuana may provide rapid relief for sufferers of chronic itch. Researchers say THC attaches itself to brain receptors that influence the nervous system. This reduces inflammation and nervous system activity, leading to a reduction in itch sensation.
Those with eczema who produce immunoglobulin E in response to environmental allergens are more likely to experience chronic and acute itching.
Stroking the skin can be as effective at relieving an itch as scratching, a new study reports. Rubbing an itch activates touch receptors and recruits anti-itch neurons in the spinal cord.
Periostin can directly activate neurons associated with itching. Blocking periostin receptors reduced itch response in mouse models of chronic allergic itching.
Researchers identified a set of neurons in the spinal cord that transmits a light-touch signal from the skin to the brain. NPY-Y1 signaling regulates the transmission of innocuous tactile information by establishing thresholds for touch discrimination and mechanical itch reflexes. The findings shed new light on the neurobiological basis of chronic itching.
Blocking the NPR1 receptor on the spinal cords of mice and humans may help reduce chronic itching.
Researchers shed light on the mechanism that drives the uncontrollable urge to scratch an itch.
Researchers have discovered two distinct pathways through which a single molecule can cause both painful and itchy skin.
Researchers implicate the neuropeptide NPPB in generating the itching sensation symptomatic of eczema.