TY - JOUR
T1 - A neuropeptide code for itch
AU - Chen, Zhou Feng
N1 - Funding Information:
The author thanks X. Liu for help with the figure preparation, and R. Bardoni and B. Kim for constructive comments. The research was supported by NIH grants 1R01AR056318-06, R01NS094344 and R01 DA037261-01A1 to Z.-F.C.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, Springer Nature Limited.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - 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 nervous system has prompted the advancement of many theories. Within the past 15 years, our understanding of the molecular and neural mechanisms of itch has undergone a major transformation, and this remarkable progress continues today without any sign of abating. Here I describe accumulating evidence that indicates that itch is distinguished from pain through the actions of itch-specific neuropeptides that relay itch information to the spinal cord. According to this model, classical neurotransmitters transmit, inhibit and modulate itch information in a context-, space- and time-dependent manner but do not encode itch specificity. Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is proposed to be a key itch-specific neuropeptide, with spinal neurons expressing GRP receptor (GRPR) functioning as a key part of a convergent circuit for the conveyance of peripheral itch information to the brain.
AB - 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 nervous system has prompted the advancement of many theories. Within the past 15 years, our understanding of the molecular and neural mechanisms of itch has undergone a major transformation, and this remarkable progress continues today without any sign of abating. Here I describe accumulating evidence that indicates that itch is distinguished from pain through the actions of itch-specific neuropeptides that relay itch information to the spinal cord. According to this model, classical neurotransmitters transmit, inhibit and modulate itch information in a context-, space- and time-dependent manner but do not encode itch specificity. Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is proposed to be a key itch-specific neuropeptide, with spinal neurons expressing GRP receptor (GRPR) functioning as a key part of a convergent circuit for the conveyance of peripheral itch information to the brain.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117320521&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41583-021-00526-9
DO - 10.1038/s41583-021-00526-9
M3 - Review article
C2 - 34663954
AN - SCOPUS:85117320521
SN - 1471-003X
VL - 22
SP - 758
EP - 776
JO - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
JF - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
IS - 12
ER -