Detail

Keywords

Biostatistics; Chronic Pain; Molecular Imaging; Neurosciences

Research group(s)

• Research Group Sandkühler
  Research Area: 1. Central nervous system mechanisms of pain amplification (hyperalgesia) and touch evoked pain (allodynia) 2. Mechanisms and novel targets for the treatment and prevention of pain syndromes.
  Members:
  Jürgen Sandkühler
  Teresa Haider

Research interests

Chronic pain represents a global health challenge, affecting approximately 20% of the world's population and causing significant personal suffering and economic burden. Despite advances in medical understanding, chronic pain remains poorly managed, with limited treatment options that often provide incomplete relief and carry substantial side effects.

Chronic pain is characterized by complex network-level disruptions in neural processing. My research focuses on understanding these pathological network states through the lens of spatiotemporal neural activity signatures.

By investigating how neural networks transform in different chronic pain conditions, I explore the fundamental mechanisms of pain signal transmission and modulation. Using advanced voltage imaging techniques, I map the dynamic changes in neural circuits across various pain models—examining how network connectivity and activity patterns are altered in neuropathic, inflammatory, and other chronic pain states.

My work aims to decode the network-level signatures that distinguish different pain entities, revealing how neural circuits are fundamentally reorganized during pathological pain. Through detailed analysis of spatiotemporal neural dynamics, I seek to provide insights that could transform our understanding of chronic pain mechanisms and potential targeted interventions.

Utilizing cutting-edge optical electrophysiology methods, I investigate the intricate network transformations that underlie chronic pain, bridging experimental neuroscience with potential clinical breakthroughs.

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

Rat models of pain; Voltage-sensitive dye imaging; Genetically-encoded voltage indicators; Network activity quantification and characterisation; Biostatistics.

Selected publications

1. Haider, T.A. and Knöpfel, T. (2020) ‘Voltage-Sensitive Fluorescent Proteins for Optical Electrophysiology’, Neural Interface Engineering, pp. 383–407. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41854-0_17.
2. Karer, M. et al. (2022) ‘Diamine oxidase knockout mice are not hypersensitive to orally or subcutaneously administered histamine’, Inflammation Research, 71(4), pp. 497–511. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-022-01558-2.
3. Karer, M. et al. (2022) ‘Treatment of legionellosis including a single intravenous dose of 1.5 g azithromycin: 18-year experience at a tertiary care hospital’, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 59(1), p. 106481. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2021.106481.