Although the medical definition of itch has been in existence for 360 years, only in the last 20 years have we begun to understand the basic mechanisms that underlie this unique sensation. Therapeutics that specifically target chronic itch as a pathologic entity are currently still not available. Recent seminal advances in itch circuitry within the nervous system have intersected with discoveries in immunology in unexpected ways to rapidly inform emerging treatment strategies. The current review aims to introduce these basic concepts in itch biology and highlight how distinct immunologic pathways integrate with recently identified itch-sensory circuits in the nervous system to inform a major new paradigm of neuroimmunology and therapeutic development for chronic itch.

中文翻译：

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瘙痒：神经免疫串扰的范例。

尽管瘙痒的医学定义已经存在了360年，但直到最近20年，我们才开始了解构成这种独特感觉的基本机制。目前仍然没有专门针对慢性瘙痒作为病理实体的治疗方法。神经系统内瘙痒回路的最新开创性进展已以意想不到的方式与免疫学发现相交叉，以迅速告知新兴的治疗策略。本篇综述旨在介绍瘙痒生物学的这些基本概念，并强调不同的免疫途径如何与神经系统中最近发现的瘙痒感觉回路相结合，为慢性瘙痒的神经免疫学和治疗学发展提供新的重要范例。