Title: Why we scratch: molecular and neural basis of itch sensation

Speaker: Zhou-Feng Chen, Ph.D. Center for the Study of Itch Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

Time: June 24 2016 (Fri) 15:30-16:30

Venue: 101 Lecture Hall,Jinguang Life Sciences Building

<span color:black;"="">Abtract: Itch is an important sensation that evokes the urge to scratch or to rub. Why do we scratch an itch ? Is itch a friend or foe of pain ? Scratching brings pleasure, why do people suffer from incessant scratching ?  Watching people scratching can make you itchy too, but why?  For more than a century, itch had been considered as a sub-modality of pain, and was one of the least understood sensations (e.g. pain, touch, and temperature etc). The discovery of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and its receptor (GRPR), a Gq protein coupled receptor (GPCR), as the first itch-specific peptide/receptor enables us to address these interesting questions. In this talk, I would like to discuss some aspects of itch sensation as well as the role of GRPR in itch transmission.  In addition, I would also like to discuss about recent advances in contagious itch and potential implications in our understanding of socially contagious behaviors.

Host:Yong Yang