Putting up a barrier to itching: Researchers have discovered how to stop an itching sensation

Researchers from the Hebrew University and Harvard have discovered itch-stimulating neurons that can be blocked

An itching sensation is not among the most difficult health problems we may suffer from, but it is certainly among the most annoying and common physical phenomena. Now, medical researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Boston have reached new findings according to which it is possible to stop the itching sensation by silencing neurons that transmit the itching sensation.

An itching sensation is a complex and unpleasant sensation in the skin that is similar in various aspects to a pain sensation. However, an itching sensation differs from pain in the type of sensation and the urge to scratch. Itching is divided into two main types: a histamine itching sensation caused when a compound called histamine creates an inflammatory response of the immune system against foreign invaders, as happens, for example, in an allergy to pollen, mold and dust, and an itching sensation caused by other reasons such as dry skin and dermatitis.

Although some types of itching sensation such as nettle can be treated with substances known as antihistamines, itching that accompanies most chronic diseases that cause itching, such as eczema, and dry skin, is not caused by histamines and has not received a medical response to this day. Therefore, an understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lay the foundations for the itch sensation is essential for the development of an effective and targeted treatment for the itch sensation, which in some cases can become destructive.

The study - which was conducted under the leadership of Dr. Alexander Binstock from the Department of Medical Neurobiology at the Israel-Canada Medical Research Institute and the Edmond and Lily Safra Brain Research Institute, and a team led by Dr. Clifford Wolff from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School - revealed the existence of groups of neurons whose unique function is to locate and convey a sense of stimulation. The researchers were even able to locate those neurons in a targeted manner and silence them during their activity. These results provide a basis for the development of innovative therapeutic approaches for the targeted treatment of an itching sensation that is not caused by histamines.

The researchers' findings show that it is possible to block in a targeted way neurons that trigger itching that carry messages to the central nervous system and initiate pathways through which the sensation of itching passes. This is the first time this has been demonstrated, and this means that it is possible to block the same itching in neurons that mediate the same itching sensations that are not caused by histamines.

The findings of the Israeli-American study were published this month in the prestigious journal Nature Neuroscience. The findings are of great clinical importance because they pave the way for new, targeted and effective treatment methods for an itching sensation caused by dry skin or dermatitis and which has not received a medical response to date.

In addition to the main researchers, Sagi Goudes and Felix Balsal from the Hebrew University and David Roberson and Jared Sprague from Harvard Medical School contributed to the study.