Program in Neuropharmacology of Pain and Mental Health
The University of Washington is committed to improving the lives of people suffering from nervous system disorders that result in chronic pain, drug addiction and depression. These syndromes often go together: chronic pain can lead to over-use of opioid analgesics and feelings of depression. Clinical depression increases the risk of developing chronic pain syndromes and over-use of addictive drugs. Use of addictive drugs often leads to depression during drug withdrawal and hypersensitivity to pain. Recognizing this challenging interplay, scientists in the Departments of Pharmacology, Anesthesiology and Psychiatry have been working together to understand how the nervous system processes sensory information and how that transmission is affected by chronic pain and mood disorders.
The participating and affiliated faculty plus their lab groups meet monthly to discuss research progress, work together to train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and develop funded collaborative research support.
University of Washington Training in Molecular Pharmacology of Abused Drugs (NIDA T32 predoctoral and postdoctoral training program)
University of Washington Center of Excellence in Opioid Addiction Research (NIDA P30 Center for Neural Imaging and Molecular Genetics)