Pruritic skin diseases, psychological stress, and the itch sensation. A reliable method for the induction of experimental pruritus

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Abstract
A method of inducing controlled levels of terminable itching [in humans] was developed. This method consists of administering constant monophasic pulsations of electric current by means of noninvasive electrodes. Once experimental pruritus was reliably reproduced, 2 variables, hypothesized to be relevant to the perception of itching, were investigated, namely, the presence of a positive or a negative history of a pruritic dermatosis, and the presence of a high or low level of psychological stress. Both variables were related to the perception of itching, but in different manners. A positive history of a pruritic dermatosis lowered the threshold for the perception of itch stimuli, while a high level of psychological stress enhanced the ability to discriminate among the more intense itch stimuli, with no effect on the itch threshold.

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