Neuroscience

Pain and itch connected down deep

A new study of itch adds to growing evidence that the chemical signals that make us want to scratch are the same signals that make us wince in pain.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Potential new therapy relieves chronic itch

The roots of chronic itching have long remained a mystery. Meanwhile, those with the condition suffer from an unrelenting and sometimes debilitating urge to scratch. Now, new research at Washington University School of Medicine ...

Neuroscience

To scratch an itch is a hairy problem

An insect lands on your arm, moving the tiny hairs on your skin just enough to make you want to scratch. Salk Institute researchers have uncovered evidence of a dedicated neural pathway that transmits the itchy feeling triggered ...

Neuroscience

Scientists identify central neural circuit for itch sensation

Itching is an unpleasant sensation associated with the desire to scratch, and the itch sensation is an important protective mechanism for animals. However, chronic itch, often seen in patients with skin and liver diseases, ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Skin care tips for psoriasis patients

(HealthDay)—Sun protection is among the skin care habits that can help people with the chronic skin condition psoriasis reduce some of the discomfort they may experience, such as skin itching, cracking and bleeding, an ...

Neuroscience

How a light touch can spur severe itching

For some people, particularly those who are elderly, even a light touch of the skin or contact with clothing can lead to unbearable itching. What's worse, anti-itch treatments, including hydrocortisone, don't provide much ...

Medical research

Scientists unravel mechanisms in chronic itching

Anyone who has suffered through sleepless nights due to uncontrollable itching knows that not all itching is the same. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis explains why.

Neuroscience

New approach to treating chronic itch

Researchers at the University of Zurich have discovered a new approach to suppressing itch by targeting two receptors in the spinal cord with the right experimental drug. In a series of experiments in mice and dogs, they ...

Medical research

Blocking nerve cells could prevent symptoms of eczema

A new picture of how the nervous system interacts with the immune system to cause the itch and inflammation associated with eczema, a chronic skin disease, could lead to new therapies for the condition, according to University ...

page 2 from 3