How the amygdala may keep neuropathic pain going
Official title: Amygdala pain mechanisms
Funded at Texas Tech University Health Scis Center · NIH-11249205 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work tests whether immune signaling between neurons and glial cells in the amygdala keeps neuropathic pain and its emotional effects going and whether blocking those signals could relieve chronic pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Tech University Health Scis Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lubbock, United States) |
| Project start | December 15, 2021 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $551,588 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS038261-27 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249205 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with chronic neuropathic pain—especially those whose pain has a strong emotional or anxiety component—are the group most likely to be helped by therapies that emerge from this work, though the current project is primarily preclinical and may not enroll patients.
✕Less likely to help
People with short-term (acute) pain, pain from purely mechanical causes, or conditions unrelated to neuropathic mechanisms are less likely to benefit from findings of this project.
What this research studies
Researchers will examine how nerve injury changes connections and activity in the amygdala, a brain region that links emotion and pain. Using preclinical models, they will measure changes in specific neuron types and in supporting glial cells, combine transcriptomics and bioinformatics to find molecular signals, and relate those changes to pain-like behaviors. The team will manipulate identified glia-derived factors to see if reversing amygdala hyperexcitability reduces persistent pain. Results aim to point to brain-based targets that could lead to new treatments for chronic neuropathic pain.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new brain-based targets for therapies that reduce long-term neuropathic pain and its emotional burden.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research supports amygdala plasticity as a driver of the emotional aspects of pain, but targeting glia-to-neuron signaling in the amygdala as a treatment approach is largely novel and remains preclinical.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas Tech University Health Scis Center
Lubbock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Neugebauer, Volker — Texas Tech University Health Scis Center
- Study coordinator: Neugebauer, Volker
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.