Abstract
Chronic itch is a multidimensional physical state strongly associated with emotional and cognitive aspects of suffering that causes the urge to scratch. Pathophysiology, psychological stress, and social milieu can influence itch. Here, we review brain neuroimaging research in humans that detects functional and anatomic changes in health and disease states. New data are emerging that are shaping our understanding of itch mechanisms and scratching—the behavioral response as well as the effect of treatments and brain dynamics during itch. Future developments will continue to expand our knowledge of itch mechanisms, allowing translation to clinical assessment and novel therapies focused on the brain, the final relay of itch transmission.
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Abbreviations
- ACC:
-
Anterior cingulate cortex
- AD:
-
Atopic dermatitis
- ASL:
-
Arterial spin labeling
- BA6:
-
Brodmann area 6
- BA44:
-
Brodmann area 44
- DLPFC:
-
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
- DTI:
-
Diffusion tensor imaging
- EASI:
-
Eczema Area and Severity Index
- ESRD:
-
End-stage renal disease
- fMRI:
-
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
- MEG:
-
Magnetoencephalography
- NAc:
-
Nucleus accumbens
- PAG:
-
Periaqueductal gray matter
- PAR2:
-
Protease-activated receptor 2
- PFC:
-
Prefrontal cortex
- PET:
-
Positron emission tomography
- S1:
-
Primary somatosensory cortex
- S2:
-
Secondary somatosensory cortex
- VBM:
-
Voxel-based morphometry
- VPI:
-
Ventral posterior inferior
- VPL:
-
Ventral posterior lateral
- VTA:
-
Ventral tegmentum
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Yosipovitch, G., Mochizuki, H. (2015). Neuroimaging of Itch as a Tool of Assessment of Chronic Itch and Its Management. In: Cowan, A., Yosipovitch, G. (eds) Pharmacology of Itch. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 226. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44605-8_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44605-8_4
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