Itch is a somatosensory sensation that informs the organism about the presence of potentially harmful substances or parasites, and initiates scratching to remove the threat. Itch-inducing (pruritogenic) substances activate primary afferent neurons in the skin through interactions with specific receptors that converts the stimulus into an electrical signal. These signals are conveyed to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord through the release of neurotransmitters such as natriuretic polypeptide b and somatostatin, leading to an integrated response within a complex spinal interneuronal network. A large sub-population of somatostatin-expressing spinal interneurons also carry the Neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y1 receptor, indicating that NPY and somatostatin partly regulate the same neuronal pathway. This review focuses on recent findings regarding the role of the NPY/Y1 and somatostatin/SST2A receptor in itch, and also presents data integrating the two neurotransmitter systems.

中文翻译：

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神经肽Y在瘙痒调节中的作用

痒是一种躯体感觉，它通知生物体存在潜在有害物质或寄生虫，并开始抓挠以消除威胁。致痒（致痒）物质通过与特定受体的相互作用激活皮肤中的初级传入神经元，将刺激转化为电信号。这些信号通过释放神经递质（如利钠多肽 b 和生长抑素）传递到脊髓的背角，从而在复杂的脊髓中间神经元网络内产生综合反应。大量表达生长抑素的脊髓中间神经元亚群也携带神经肽 Y (NPY) Y1 受体，表明 NPY 和生长抑素部分调节相同的神经元通路。