Oakley B. Morgan

Cholecystokinin input from the anterior cingulate cortex to the lateral periaqueductal gray mediates nocebo pain behavior in mice

The paper identifies a shared neural circuit involving CCK projections from the anterior cingulate cortex to the lateral periaqueductal gray that mediates nocebo pain behavior in mice.

Analgesia through FKBP51 inhibition at disease onset confers lasting relief from sensory and emotional chronic pain symptoms

This study shows that inhibiting FKBP51 early in joint pain reduces both sensory and emotional symptoms for up to 6 months, while late inhibition only provides temporary relief.

Stress, Epigenetic Remodeling and FKBP51: Pathways to Chronic Pain Vulnerability

This study shows that sub-chronic stress causes hypomethylation of the Fkbp5 promoter, increasing chronic pain vulnerability, but reversing this methylation does not prevent pain.

Predicting hypersensitivity and comorbid depressive-like behavior in late stages of joint disease using early weight bearing deficit

The paper shows that early functional measures in joint disease models predict long-term sensory and emotional symptoms, suggesting their use in clinical settings for better pain management and prevention of emotional comorbidities.