Congratulations to James W. Ibinson MD, PhD; K. Grace Lim, MD; Ajay D. Wasan, MD, MSc; and Andrea Gillman, PhD (postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Wasan), all department principal investigators (PIs) or Co-PIs on research projects that recently won University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Pain Research Challenge awards. Funded by the Virginia Kaufman Endowment Fund and CTSI, the challenge sought research solutions to address the dynamics of pain, causes and alleviation of pain, and treatments to prevent and/or mitigate pain. These investigators from our Department won three of the four total awards.
“Reducing Pain's Impact on Perinatal Depression,” $50,000 Award
PI: K. Grace Lim, MD
Co-PI: Ajay D. Wasan, MD, MSc
Key personnel: Patricia Dalby, MD
Pain during childbirth is related to risk for postpartum depression. Current epidural strategies ignore the potential utility of more aggressive pain management for mothers at risk for depression. Dr. Lim’s research group hypothesizes that enhanced pain relief during labor mitigates risk for postpartum depression. They will test this hypothesis by comparing two widely-utilized and accepted techniques, a combined spinal epidural technique and an epidural-only technique, in a pilot prospective study among women with risk factors for depression who present in labor.
“PainDetect,” $50,000 Award
PI: James W. Ibinson MD, PhD
Co-investigators: Ajay D. Wasan, MD, MSc; Keith Vogt, MD, PhD
Key personnel: Christopher Becker; Andrea Gillman, PhD; John J. Hache, MD
Pain research lacks an objective biomarker that reflects the cognitive process of pain perception. An objective measure for pain would not only enhance our understanding of pain, but also further our ability to develop successful pain treatments. Using functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI), Dr. Ibinson’s research group has developed a preliminary framework with an acute model of neuropathic pain that can detect pain with 90% sensitivity. This technique examines the interrelationship between pain-responsive and psychologically-relevant areas of the brain, instead of trying to identify a single pain-specific region. They will test the effectiveness of their fcMRI technique in chronic pain patients.
“Mice with Comorbid Chronic Pain and Depression,” $10,000 Award
PI: Marianne Seney, PhD (Department of Psychiatry)
Co-PIs: Andrea Gillman, PhD; Ajay D. Wasan, MD, MSc
Individuals with chronic pain often suffer from depression and/or anxiety. The molecular and genetic mechanisms that link these conditions are poorly understood and hard to study in human research subjects. This multi-disciplinary team of human pain researchers and rodent mood researchers will develop a mouse model of comorbid chronic pain and depression/anxiety that is directly informed by human studies. They will combine a mouse model of chronic osteoarthritis pain with the Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress model, which produces a chronic depressed/anxious state in both male and female mice. They will then scan the brains of these mice using fMRI, drawing a necessary experimental link between observations in human subjects and mice. Once the mouse model is established, they will use genetically modified mice to examine cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying comorbid chronic pain and depression/anxiety. This could lead to a better understanding of chronic pain and may lead to new treatments and therapies for these debilitating conditions.