Oxytocin to prevent acute pain from becoming chronic
Oxytocin: a pain disease-modifying agent in the nervous system after injury
['FUNDING_P01'] · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · NIH-11314598
This project explores whether oxytocin can help people recover faster from injury-related pain and stop it from turning into long-term chronic pain.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_P01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11314598 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Researchers will study oxytocin — a hormone already used in medicine — to see how it changes nerve signaling after injury and whether that prevents acute pain from becoming chronic. The team will combine lab work in animals to map nerve-fiber effects with comparisons to human pain data and prior clinical results. They will examine differences by sex and injury type, including recovery after surgeries like cesarean delivery. The aim is to turn findings from animals and small human studies into treatments that reduce long-term pain after injury.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be adults with new-onset acute pain after surgery or peripheral nerve injury who are within the early recovery period when prevention is possible.
Not a fit: People with long-standing chronic pain or pain not related to a recent injury are unlikely to benefit from this prevention-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to oxytocin-based treatments that shorten recovery after injury and lower the chance of developing chronic pain.
How similar studies have performed: Some animal and small human studies report pain relief from oxytocin, but clinical results have been mixed and using oxytocin to prevent chronic pain is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES
- WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES — WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: MARTIN, THOMAS JEFFREY — WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- Study coordinator: MARTIN, THOMAS JEFFREY
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 below.