BIRCWH (BUILDING INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CAREERS IN WOMEN’S HEALTH) SCHOLAR GRANT
Beth Darnall, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator

The experience of pain and its pathologic mechanisms are different in men and women. Animal and human studies have shown estrogen and sex steroids to be one mediator for the sexual dimorphism of pain. For example, estrogen decreases the number of opioid binding sites in the brain and therefore affects response to opioid therapy. Estrogen is also known to mediate immunology in women via cytokine expression. Research has implicated pro-inflammatory cytokines in the development of chronic pain, and psychological stress is one way pro-inflammatory cytokines are released in the body. This project examines the relationships between pain, stress, and estrogen in women with chronic pain in order to further understand the mechanisms of chronic pain and to advance the development of more effective gender-specific treatment for pain and disease.