We investigated whether the descending noradrenergic system regulates allergic itch. Mosquito allergy of the hind paw elicited biting, an itch-related response, in sensitized mice. The biting was inhibited by intrathecal clonidine and reversed by yohimbine, an α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist. The biting was increased by intrathecal pretreatment with the catecholaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopami...

Itch represents a leading symptom in dermatological practice with many psychophysiological aspects. Instruments for qualitative registration of these central nervous factors and evaluation of therapeutic measures are still missing. We analyzed in detail the subjective itch sensation in 108 patients with acute atopic eczema with a new questionnaire developed in analogy to the McGill pain questio...

Although pruritus is an essential symptom of atopic dermatitis, its complex pathomechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical pattern of itch in adult subjects with atopic dermatitis. A total of 89 patients (59 females, 30 males) with atopic dermatitis, age range 18-60 years, were included in the study. Each patient completed a questionnaire about cl...

Chronic itch (pruritus) is an important clinical problem. However, the underlying molecular basis has yet to be understood. The Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 channel is a heat-sensitive cation channel expressed in primary sensory neurons and involved in both thermosensation and pain, but its role in chronic itch remains elusive. Here, we for the first time revealed an increased inner...

Within the last decade understanding of the mechanistic basis of itch has improved significantly, resulting in the development of several human surrogate models of itch and related dysesthetic states. Well-characterized somatosensory models are useful in basic studies in healthy volunteers, in clinical studies for diagnostic and segmentation purposes, and in pharmacological studies to evaluate ...

The Nedd4 family E3 ligases are key regulators of cell growth and proliferation and are often misregulated in human cancers and other diseases. The ligase activities of Nedd4 E3s are tightly controlled via auto-inhibition. However, the molecular mechanism underlying Nedd4 E3 auto-inhibition and activation is poorly understood. Here, we show that the WW domains proceeding the catalytic HECT doma...

Liljencrantz et al report the failure of observing contagious itch behavior using mice injected with histamine as the demonstrators. Analysis of their results shows that the histamine model is limited by inadequate frequency and duration of scratching bouts required for contagious itch test. To streamline the contagious itch test, the screen paradigm is highly recommended.

A patient with intractable postherpetic itch lasting for 1 year was reported. The itch was mainly from the left vertex, frontal and ophthalmic regions and extended to the left neck area. The patient had negative response to the ophthalmic nerve block. Under the initial positive response to the great occipital nerve block, pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) was performed on the position of the great oc...

We previously showed that gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) in the spinal cord is important for mediating nonhistaminergic itch. Neuromedin B receptor (NMBR), the second member of the mammalian bombesin receptor family, is expressed in a largely nonoverlapping pattern with GRPR in the superficial spinal cord, and its role in itch transmission remains unclear. Here, we report that Nmbr k...

BACKGROUND The regulation of Notch signaling heavily relies on ubiquitination events. Drosophila Su(dx), a member of the HECT family of ubiquitin-ligases, has been described as a negative regulator of Notch signaling, acting on the post-endocytic sorting of Notch. The mammalian ortholog of Su(dx), Itch/AIP4, has been shown to have multiple substrates, including Notch, but the precise events reg...