Functional and structural plasticity following spinal cord injury: contributions to chronic central neuropathic pain (A06)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells ; Anatomy and Physiology ; Human Genetics ; Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology
• Term: since 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 255156212

The human-rodent tandem project A06 will build on their recent findings on hyperexcitability of nociceptors and changes in DRG neurons in spinal cord injury (SCI) models and SCI patients to elucidate the systemic upstream signals, that are elicited by damage to the spinal cord, which trigger nociceptor hypersensitivity leading to neuropathic pain. The human study will identify druggable soluble factors from SCI patient cerebrospinal fluid and serum - cross-referenced with gene expression profiling in rodent transgenic models - as potential trigger of nociceptor hyperexcitability and neuropathic pain. Nociceptors in the spinal dorsal horn/root below injury level will be functionally silenced by targeted spinal cord stimulation. Novel nociceptor-specific inhibitors of excitation will be tested for ability to suppress pain in the rodent model.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1158: From nociception to chronic pain: Structure-function properties of neural pathways and their reorganisation
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Professor Armin Blesch, Ph.D., until 6/2019; Professor Dr. Frank Bradke, from 7/2019 until 6/2023; Radhika Puttagunta, Ph.D., since 7/2019; Professor Dr. Norbert Weidner