Have scientists found the cure to an eczema itch?

Scientists have now found a way to 'flip the switch' on an itch. "You can think of itch being transmitted from the skin to the brain as a series of switches that get flipped," a lead researcher said. "The signal goes from neuronal projections in the skin through the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) - which are clusters of sensory cells located at the root of the spinal nerves - then to the spinal cord. We're interested in finding out how the portion of this pathway from DRG to spinal cord works in terms of signaling itchiness in chronic skin disease," he added.

Eczema, is a chronic skin condition that causes persistent itching. "We wanted to figure out which neuropeptide was involved in the 'switch' between the DRG and the spinal cord," he continued. "Our work shows that NPBB (Natriuretic polypeptide B) does act on the neurons in the spinal cord and that it plays an important role in this signaling pathway," he added. So by being able to identify the receptor that induces itching, they may be able to find a way to cure the itch. Stay tuned for more updates.