# Peripheral Neuronal Mechanisms of Itch

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $624,462

## Abstract

Itch accompanies many neurological, dermatological and systemic diseases and leads to suffering and loss in
the quality of life. The peripheral neuronal mechanisms underlying this sensation in human are still poorly
understood. The overall goal of our proposal is to determine how acute itch and the prolonged itch from a
pruritic disease are encoded in the discharges of cutaneous nociceptors. We propose electrophysiological
experiments in nonhuman primate to characterize the responses to pruritic chemical stimuli in subtypes of
peripheral nociceptive nerve fibers and complementary, correlative psychophysical studies in human to
determine the role of these different neuronal populations in itch sensation. We will test the predictions of
models that propose that cutaneous nociceptors differentially signal pruritic and algesic stimuli either by the
overall number of afferents activated or by the rates or patterns of their discharges. In a clinically relevant
model of prolonged itch, namely the SADBE model of allergic contact dermatitis, we will investigate the
neuronal mechanisms of spontaneous itch and enhanced itch to chemical and heat stimuli using
psychophysical studies in humans and electrophysiological recordings from nociceptive afferents in monkeys.
By studying both acute and prolonged itch, we will be able to identify, for the first time, changes that occur in
the peripheral nervous system in a clinically relevant itch condition. A better understanding of how nociceptors
mediate the sensation of itch in normal and pruritic skin will increase the possibility of developing and
evaluating novel, peripherally acting drugs that reduce the abnormal nociceptor function underlying chronic
itch.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10005029
- **Project number:** 5R01AR070875-05
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ROBERT H LA MOTTE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $624,462
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-19 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10005029

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10005029, Peripheral Neuronal Mechanisms of Itch (5R01AR070875-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10005029. Licensed CC0.

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