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utdpaincenter.bsky.social
Center for Advanced Pain Studies
@utdpaincenter.bsky.social
350 followers 130 following 45 posts
We are dedicated to curing chronic pain!
Pain Center at UT Dallas.
instagram.com/utdpaincenter
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utdpaincenter.bsky.social
These are representative images of mouse hindpaw skin stained with PGP9.5 (pan neuronal marker) and Dapi (nuclei stain) to look at intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENF).

The first image is from healthy skin, the second is from a mouse with ongoing neuropathy.
#fluorescencefriday
September 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
We are highlighting a new paper by @dianatavf.bsky.social published in @jclinical-invest.bsky.social. In this paper, they reveal how peripheral nerves shift towards inflammatory phenotypes in DPN.

🔬 Read the full study: utd.link/3df
📊 Explore the data: utd.link/3dg
Video of Diana Tavares-Ferreira discussing peripheral nerve damage and diabetes.
September 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🎤We are thrilled to announce that undergraduate researcher, Bhavya Jaiswal, has been awarded the American Physiological Society Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and has also received an award from the Texas Society for Microscopy (TSM) Small Grant Program. Congrats! 🔬🎉
April 15, 2025 at 9:04 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🔬✨Fluorescence Friday!✨🔬

Pictured is a human dorsal root ganglion (hDRG). TRPV1 is in red, peripherin in green, CD31 in magenta, and DAPI in blue.

Image courtesy of Stephanie Shiers, Ph.D.

#fluorescencefriday #painneuroscience #painscience #MicroscopyMagic #neuroart
April 4, 2025 at 5:09 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🔬Happy #FluorescenceFriday 🥳 Pictured is a human trigeminal ganglion labeled for five targets using two assays, immunofluorescence and RNAscope in situ hybridization! DAPI is in blue, peripherin is in green, SOX10 is magenta and two mRNAs (🤐 in red and cyan).

Image credit: Stephanie Shiers, PhD.
March 28, 2025 at 4:54 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🎉 Huge Congratulations to Dayton Darabadey! 🎉
Happy to announce that Dayton has won the "Best Predoc Poster Presentation" at the 14th Annual GCC Translational Pain Research Conference! 🏆
March 27, 2025 at 10:21 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🎉 Thrilled to announce that Diana Tavares-Ferreira, PhD, was awarded a grant from the Merkin Peripheral Neuropathy and Nerve Regeneration Center. This grant supports her research into how disruptions in messenger RNA transport within peripheral nerves contribute to nerve degeneration. 🎉
A woman in a white lab coat stands against a white background. Her face is obscured. Above her, the text reads 'CAPS | Grants.' Below this, the text states 'Merkin Center Research Grant Recipient' followed by 'Diana Tavares-Ferreira, PhD.' The description below reads: 'Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common and debilitating complication of diabetes, caused by changes in the distal axons of sensory neurons. This project aims to investigate how disruptions in mRNA transport within peripheral nerves contribute to axonal degeneration in DPN, with the goal of uncovering insights that could lead to personalized treatments.' At the bottom right corner are images of two cats labeled as 'Lab Mascots' with names Nala and Max.
March 26, 2025 at 9:47 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
📢 We're Hiring! Join Our Team at the Center for Advanced Pain Studies!!✨

If you are passionate about research and studying chronic pain or migraine, this is your opportunity.

Program Manager - utd.link/30k
Research Tech - utd.link/30l

#painneuroscience #research #job #scicomm #pain
March 25, 2025 at 4:12 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🌷 Happy National Flower Day 🌷

Cortex, brain. Neurons (NeuN, magenta), axon initial segments (Ankyrin-G, green), nuclei (DAPI, blue)

#FluorescenceFriday #nationalflowerday #painneuroscience
Cortex, brain. Neurons (NeuN, magenta), axon initial segments (Ankyrin-G, green), nuclei (DAPI, blue)
March 21, 2025 at 2:40 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🌟 Meet Our Advocates: Greg Dussor,PhD, and Mandee Schaub! 🌟As participants in the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy's Headache on the Hill event, they are dedicated to raising awareness and driving change for the 40+ million Americans affected by headache disorders.
#HOH2025
March 20, 2025 at 2:04 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🧠✨ This weekend, we had an amazing time at STEM Day in the Park! Families joined us for a hands-on journey into the brain and nervous system with interactive experiments.

We loved sparking curiosity and inspiring future scientists. 🚀🔬 #STEMDay #NeuroscienceFun #BrainPower
A community science event taking place outdoors in an urban park, with people of diverse backgrounds engaging in hands-on learning activities. A young girl with braided hair and colorful beads is interacting with a puzzle-like anatomy model at a table covered with educational materials, including a model of a skull, brain-shaped objects, and colorful food items. Volunteers and attendees, including a woman in a green shirt and another in a UT Dallas cap, are assisting participants in exploring the exhibits. The background features tall buildings, trees, and other activity booths with people engaged in various educational demonstrations. A young man in a white sweater enthusiastically demonstrates a colorful neuron pipe cleaner model to a group of attendees at an outdoor science event. A young girl in a white shirt and a man in a red shirt watch attentively, while another volunteer in a green shirt, representing the "School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences" , works at the table. The table is covered with educational materials, including a brain model and interactive learning tools. The background features a park setting with concrete steps, grass, and people engaging in various activities under a sunny sky. A lively outdoor science event in an urban park, where volunteers and attendees of diverse backgrounds engage in hands-on learning activities. A woman in a white shirt with a smiley face design enthusiastically gives a thumbs-up while standing near a table filled with educational materials, including anatomical models, food items, and scientific tools. Children and adults gather around as a volunteer in a green shirt holds up a model brain and explains a concept. The background features tall buildings, inflatable play structures, and people enjoying the event under a partly cloudy sky. A diverse group of people, including children and adults, are gathered around an outdoor activity booth in a park setting. Two men behind the table are engaging with children, handing out educational materials related to the brain and neuroscience. The table is covered with colorful educational materials, including brain models, activity sheets, and small plush brain toys. The crowd appears engaged and interested, with children leaning in to interact with the materials. The event takes place on a grassy area with a concrete border, and other people can be seen in the background participating in similar activities.
March 17, 2025 at 9:54 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🔬We study the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), which is a cluster of cells located just outside of the spinal cord. The DRG routes pain signals from the periphery to the central nervous system.

#FluorescenceFriday #sciart #neuroart
Human dorsal root ganglion (hDRG), green is beta 3 tubulin (a neuronal marker) and red is p-eIF2α (a marker of cellular stress) hDRG, confocal microscopy, z-stack
March 14, 2025 at 5:27 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
📢 We're Hiring! Join Our Team at the Center for Advanced Pain Studies!

✨ CAPS is looking for a research technician. If you are passionate about research and studying chronic pain or migraine, this is your opportunity.

🔗 Learn more and apply: UTD.link/2v7
March 12, 2025 at 3:02 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
We were delighted to welcome Rep. Rafael Anchía to our labs a couple weeks ago. We had an insightful discussion about the impact of chronic pain and migraines on Americans, and our efforts to develop non-opioid therapeutics.
#chronicpain #migraine #painresearch
Photo collage with varying colors of blue watercolor as a background. There are two images, the top image is showing a group of people discussing science with a scientist in a lab coat. The bottom image shows two people in conversation.
March 7, 2025 at 8:25 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
✨ #FluorescenceFriday ✨

Check out this beautiful image of a stained spinal cord! Neurons (magenta) microglia (cyan), and nuclei(blue). 🧠🔬

#Neuroscience #ScienceArt #MicroscopyMagic #CellularBeauty #ResearchLife #painneuroscience
Stained image of a spinal cord, Neurons (magenta) microglia (cyan), and nuclei(blue)
March 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🎉Celebrating CAPS researcher, Zulmary Manjarres, PhD! She has been highlighted in a news article for her work on pain associated with Parkinson's disease. Zulmary is working with @katesadlerphd.bsky.social and @tedpricethepainguy.bsky.social to study the microbiome in different pain conditions. 🎉
Article in Spanish about the research of Zulmary Manjarres. The article has a photo of Zulmary in the middle and discuss her research on pain and Parkinson's disease.
March 5, 2025 at 9:08 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
We are thrilled to announce that Brodie Woodall received a Travel Award to attend USASP 2025!
This opportunity will allow her to connect with leading researchers, share insights, and explore the latest advancements in pain science.
#USASP2025 #TravelAward #PainResearch #educationmatters #painscience
March 4, 2025 at 10:07 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
Human dorsal root ganglion (hDRG). Three different mRNAs expressed in sensory neurons (green, magenta, cyan), nuclei (blue).

RNAscope in situ hybridization.

#fluorescencefriday #painscience #painneuroscience #neuroart
Human dorsal root ganglion (hDRG). Three different mRNAs expressed in sensory neurons (green, magenta, cyan), nuclei (blue).
February 28, 2025 at 4:51 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
Injection of dihydrotestosterone directly into the RVM reduces muscle hyperalgesia in the opposite side of the injection site. This suggests that some of the protective effects of testosterone are through direct activation of receptors in the RVM.
February 27, 2025 at 9:42 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
We administered testosterone to female mice for two weeks before injury. After injury, we saw a reduction in SERT protein levels compared to the control group. We hypothesize that lowering SERT levels decreases pain by increasing serotonin levels in the RVM.
February 27, 2025 at 9:42 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
In a model of activity-induced muscle pain, female mice express more of the serotonin transporter (SERT) protein in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) compared to males. When we administer a drug to inhibit SERT, it reverses the bilateral muscle hyperalgesia in females.
February 27, 2025 at 9:42 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
New paper by Kelly N Jahn, Sean Takomoto Kashiwagura and @saadyousuf.bsky.social is featured on the cover of this month's Journal of Pain. The article is "Clinical phenotype and management of sound-induced pain: Insights from adults with pain hyperacusis." PMID: 39586560.
Cover of The Journal of Pain, Volume 27, February 2025 edition. The title is in bold white and blue uppercase letters against a gradient blue-green background. Below the title, a scientific illustration depicts pain pathways related to the ear and brain. Two human head outlines are shown, facing forward and in profile, both with red-highlighted pain areas on the face. Beneath them, a diagram illustrates the middle ear, inner ear, and brainstem, connected by neural pathways, with red lines indicating pain transmission. The editor-in-chief, Tonya M. Palermo, PhD, is credited at the bottom, along with the logos of Elsevier and the US Association for the Study of Pain (USASP).
February 21, 2025 at 6:11 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is an inflammatory condition that affects up to 90% of cancer patients. To study this, we stain for specific inflammatory or immune cell markers that tell us where immune cells are in relation to nerves.
February 19, 2025 at 11:18 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
Check out Dr. Urzula Franco-Enzástiga's beautiful cover in PAIN. Her article entitled "Epigenomic landscape of the human dorsal root ganglion: sex differences and transcriptional regulation of nociceptive genes" was an editor's choice article. Read it at journals.lww.com/pain/fulltex...
Conrad Waddington’s concept of an epigenetic landscape represents cellular decision-making during development. This drawing was inspired by Waddington’s metaphor and alludes to the possibility of the pawn, an undifferentiated cell, to potentially become any piece when it gets promoted on the board. The pawn’s fate will depend on those decisions dictated by the environment, in this case the chess game. Art style inspired by Dali’s and Leonora Carrington's surrealism.
February 17, 2025 at 11:00 PM
utdpaincenter.bsky.social
🎉 Happy Valentine's Day, we love you science! ❤️

#FluorescenceFriday #sciart #neuroart
Image is a heart shaped Dorsal Root Ganglion. Sensory neurons (magenta), astrocytes (cyan), nuclei (blue).
February 15, 2025 at 12:01 AM