Inklings to Itch: why and what to do

Info accruing on promising molecular targets. PREMIUM CONTENT subscriber access

Today’s newsletter was inspired by the relentless gnats and mosquitoes, driving me out of my foraging forest, and driving me crazy. Too much rain !

And yes, itching is a psych out, apparently.

Itching is a highly contagious behavior. When we see someone scratch, we're likely to scratch, too. Credit: Michael Worful

Observing someone else scratching themselves can make you want to do so. This contagious itching has been observed in monkeys and humans, but what about rodents? Yu et al. found that mice do imitate scratching when they observe it in other mice. The authors identified a brain area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus as a key circuit for mediating contagious itch. Gastrin-releasing peptide and its receptor in the suprachiasmatic nucleus were necessary and sufficient to transmit this contagious behavior.- Yu et al.

However, I doubt I can use mind control to contain a condition like … poison ivy rash. It would likely take biologic big guns, to knock out that itch. So let’s look at promising molecular targets for those weapons.

HIGHLIGHTS

• kappa opioid agonists synergize with mu agents for pain relief

• tick spit stops itch

• sensory nerves link allergen exposure to immune activation

• skin to brain transmission of itch