Abstract

The purpose of this project is to elucidate the neural mechanisms and principles of treatment of chronic pain syndromes. Current intramural clinical drug trials are focused on antagonists of glutamate, the nervous system's primary excitatory neurotransmitter. We are conducting a placebo-controlled study of the new anticonvulsant topiramate in chronic lumbar radiculopathy pain. A new program in pain genetics has localized a gene affecting pain behaviors to a small region of one chromosome containing several genes whose gene products have previously been linked to pain processing. Candidate gene studies are beginning in a cohort of 500 patients with 10-year followup of sciatica in the Maine Lumbar Spine Study. Extramural collaborations include a collaboration with Johns Hopkins in which morphine treatment was superior to tricyclic antidepressant treatment in patients with postherpetic neuralgia, the first direct comparison of these two standard treatments.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Type
Intramural Research (Z01)
Project #
1Z01DE000366-19
Application #
6503696
Study Section
(PNMB)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
19
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
Dental & Craniofacial Research
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
State
Country
United States
Zip Code

  Publications

Slade, Gary D; Diatchenko, Luda; Ohrbach, Richard et al. (2008) Orthodontic Treatment, Genetic Factors and Risk of Temporomandibular Disorder. Semin Orthod 14:146-156
Lotsch, Jorn; Belfer, Inna; Kirchhof, Anja et al. (2007) Reliable screening for a pain-protective haplotype in the GTP cyclohydrolase 1 gene (GCH1) through the use of 3 or fewer single nucleotide polymorphisms. Clin Chem 53:1010-5
Khoromi, Suzan; Blackman, Marc R; Kingman, Albert et al. (2007) Low intensity permanent magnets in the treatment of chronic lumbar radicular pain. J Pain Symptom Manage 34:434-45
Belfer, I; Hipp, H; Bollettino, A et al. (2007) Alcoholism is associated with GALR3 but not two other galanin receptor genes. Genes Brain Behav 6:473-81
Khoromi, Suzan; Cui, Lihong; Nackers, Lisa et al. (2007) Morphine, nortriptyline and their combination vs. placebo in patients with chronic lumbar root pain. Pain 130:66-75
Edwards, Robert R; Klick, Brendan; Buenaver, Luis et al. (2007) Symptoms of distress as prospective predictors of pain-related sciatica treatment outcomes. Pain 130:47-55
Diatchenko, Luda; Nackley, Andrea G; Slade, Gary D et al. (2006) Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene polymorphisms are associated with multiple pain-evoking stimuli. Pain 125:216-24
Farrar, John T; Dworkin, Robert H; Max, Mitchell B (2006) Use of the cumulative proportion of responders analysis graph to present pain data over a range of cut-off points: making clinical trial data more understandable. J Pain Symptom Manage 31:369-77
Max, Mitchell B; Wu, Tianxia; Atlas, Steven J et al. (2006) A clinical genetic method to identify mechanisms by which pain causes depression and anxiety. Mol Pain 2:14
Tegeder, Irmgard; Costigan, Michael; Griffin, Robert S et al. (2006) GTP cyclohydrolase and tetrahydrobiopterin regulate pain sensitivity and persistence. Nat Med 12:1269-77

Showing the most recent 10 out of 43 publications