Blake A. Kimmey

The paper identifies a functional dichotomy in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, showing that micro opioid receptor neurons encode nociceptive states while enkephalin-releasing neurons drive pain relief in various contexts.

The paper identifies a cortical circuit in mice modulated by opioids and develops a gene therapy to mimic opioid analgesia for chronic pain.

This study shows that cocaine and morphine disrupt chloride homeostasis in VTA GABA neurons by downregulating KCC2, with effects lasting up to 30 days after morphine self-administration.

This study identifies a BLAnoci ensemble in the basolateral amygdala that mediates both acute and chronic pain behavior through a novel amygdala-striatal circuit involving the nucleus accumbens shell.