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Neuroimaging of Itch as a Tool of Assessment of Chronic Itch and Its Management

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Pharmacology of Itch

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 226))

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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology and Temple Itch Center, Temple University Medical Center, 3322 North Broad Street, Suite 212, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, USA

    Gil Yosipovitch & Hideki Mochizuki

Authors
  1. Gil Yosipovitch
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  2. Hideki Mochizuki
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gil Yosipovitch .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Alan Cowan

  2. Department of Dermatology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadephia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Gil Yosipovitch

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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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