Itch: Mechanisms and Treatment

Excerpt

Advances in itch research have elucidated differences between itch and pain but have also blurred the distinction between them. There has been a long debate about how somatic sensations including touch, pain, itch, and temperature sensitivity are encoded by the nervous system. Research suggests that each sensory modality is processed along a fixed, direct-line communication system from the skin to the brain.

Itch: Mechanisms and Treatment presents a timely update on all aspects of itch research and the clinical treatment of itch that accompanies many dermatological conditions including psoriasis, neuropathic itch, cutaneous t-cells lymphoma, and systemic diseases such as kidney and liver disease and cancer.

Composed of contributions from distinguished researchers around the world, the book explores topics such as

1. Neuropathic itch

2. Peripheral neuronal mechanism of itch

3. The role of PAR-2 in neuroimmune communication and itch

4. Mrgprs as itch receptors

5. The role of interleukin-31 and oncostatin M in itch and neuroimmune communication

6. Spinal coding of itch and pain

7. Spinal microcircuits and the regulation of itch

Examining new findings on cellular and molecular mechanisms, the book is a compendium of the most current research on itch, its prevalence in society, and the problems associated with treatment.