时间：2019年9月23日，上午12:00-14:00

地点：东十一楼生命科学与技术学院2楼221会议室

报告人：潘海莉，南昌大学

邀请人：刘剑峰  教授

报告摘要：

Innocuous mechanical stimuli evoke itch sensation, which is called mechanical itch. Sensitized mechanical itch and persistent spontaneous itch are intractable symptoms in chronic itch patients. However, the underlying neural circuits are not well understood. Here we identified a subpopulation of spinal excitatory interneurons expressing Urocortin 3::Cre (Ucn3⁺) that transmit acute mechanical itch and chronic itch. Ucn3⁺ neurons receive peripheral inputs from Toll-like receptor 5-positive (TLR5⁺) Aβ mechanoreceptors, and is gated by inhibitory interneurons expressing neuropeptide Y::Cre (NPY⁺) in the dorsal spinal cord. Reduced synaptic inhibition and increased intrinsic excitability of Ucn3⁺ neurons lead to chronic itch sensitization. Our study reveals neural mechanisms underlying mechanical itch and chronic itch and shed new light on chronic itch therapy.