Award
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 5R01NS124799-04
Refining Oxytocin Therapy for Pain: Context is Key
Recipient
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Award Amount
$495,247.00
Ceiling
$495,247.00
Awarded
February 26, 2026
Identifier
5R01NS124799-04
NIH grant awarded to Rutgers University to study intrathecal oxytocin therapy for pain management, focusing on spinal cord circuits and the interaction of pain and touch signals.
Description
Intrathecal oxytocin (OT) is in clinical trials as an opioid alternative for chronic pain treatment. This project focuses on spinal cord circuit mechanisms by which oxytocin alleviates pain, testing the hypothesis that oxytocin alleviates pain by balancing excitation, inhibition, nociception, and affective touch to sculpt spinal projection systems activity.