NIH R01 · 2024
NINDS Diversity Supplement-Ms. Lucero Shorter
Intrathecal oxytocin (OT) is in clinical trials as an opioid alternative for chronic pain treatment. Our work in mice suggests that coupling intrathecal oxytocin with manual therapies (i.e. massage) optimizes the analgesic properties of oxytocin. This project provides the framework to support this combination therapy by concentrating on the spinal cord circuit mechanisms by which oxytocin alleviates pain. Our preliminary studies suggest that oxytocin-specific spinal cord circuits are embedded within a previously uncharacterized dorsal horn nociceptive/affective touch circuit. We will carry out three complementary sets of experiments to test the overall hypothesis that oxytocin alleviates…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.