Itch is a topic to which everyone can relate. The physiological roles of itch are increasingly
understood and appreciated. The pathophysiological consequences of itch impact quality of …

Itch is one of the most primal sensations, being both ubiquitous and important for the well-
being of animals. For more than a century, a desire to understand how itch is encoded by the …

The dorsal horns of the spinal cord and the trigeminal nuclei in the brainstem contain neuron
populations that are critical to process sensory information. Neurons in these areas are …

Opioids such as morphine are mainstay treatments for clinical pain conditions. Itch is a
common side effect of opioids, particularly as a result of epidural or intrathecal …

Spinal transmission of pruritoceptive (itch) signals requires transneuronal signaling by
gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) produced by a subpopulation of dorsal horn excitatory …

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) functions as a neurotransmitter for non-histaminergic itch,
but its site of action (sensory neurons vs spinal cord) remains controversial. To determine …

Peripheral nerve injury sensitizes a complex network of spinal cord dorsal horn (DH)
neurons to produce allodynia and neuropathic pain. The identification of a druggable target …

Heat perception enables acute avoidance responses to prevent tissue damage and
maintain body thermal homeostasis. Unlike other modalities, how heat signals are …

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is a spinal itch transmitter expressed by a small population
of dorsal horn interneurons (GRP neurons). The contribution of these neurons to spinal itch …

In perilous and stressful situations, the ability to suppress pain can be critical for survival.
The rostral ventromedial medulla contains neurons that robustly inhibit nocioception at the …