Itching is one of the most annoying problems people have to face, and it’s also the source of major embarrassing moments, when someone in a crowd cannot resist the urge and further starts scratching all over the place. Scientists have been in the dark about what causes itching for years, although they recently discovered that the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) gene is responsible for triggering these unpleasant sensations.
What's even more puzzling to scientists is the reflex that itching generates, that of scratching. Despite the fact that itches and pains are very similar in their natures, biologists are still having a hard time figuring out why the former cause scratching effects, while the latter trigger a withdrawal response. "Itch happens in your brain, not on your skin," University of Erlangen German researcher, Clemens Forster, attempts an explanation.
"Itch can be devastating to patients and lead to extensive loss of quality of life. Unfortunately, the treatment of itch is often unsatisfactory," adds University in Baltimore John Hopkins researcher, Matthias Ringkamp.
During the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, which took place on Monday in Washington, experts in itching, including Washington University neuroscientist, Zhou-Feng Chen, said that there were two main types of itches. The first is caused by regular histamines, such as those that can be found in poison ivy, mosquito needles and other such places, while the second type can be triggered by as much as 50 different diseases and medical conditions.
"The second type is often severe and very common, since more than 50 diseases and conditions can cause it. There are no treatments currently available for this latter type of itch," argued Glenn J. Giesler, a neuroscientist, working from the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, US.
Chen said that "The discovery of the first itchy gene in the spinal cord raises the hope that it may be possible to relieve itchiness in patients by blocking the GRPR function." Such a therapy would help numerous people benefit from an increased overall quality of life, while at the same time reducing the effects that other diseases, such as AIDS, kidney or liver conditions, cause.
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