The Schnitzer Research Group is dedicated to studying the development of chronic pain and clinical measures to treat chronic pain.
Welcome to our clinical research lab! The main focus of our group is on understanding why people develop chronic pain and how best to treat it. Chronic musculoskeletal pain (low back pain and osteoarthritis) affects >60M people in the US and exacts a huge toll, not only financially but also in reducing quality of life. We hope that our work will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the onset and maintenance of chronic pain and help identify ways to prevent and treat these pain conditions.
Clinical research is an important aspect of modern medicine as it:
- Enables us to understand why diseases happen and have the effects they do
- Determine the safety and effectiveness of medications, devices, products and other treatments to prevent or treat these conditions
- Understand why people develop chronic pain, such as osteoarthritis and chronic back pain, utilizing brain imaging and psychophysical methodologies
- Identify potential new treatments for these conditions, often in collaboration with a range of pharmaceutical companies.
Our lab conducts clinical research with a focus in chronic pain from osteoarthritis of the knee, back pain, diabetic neuropathy, hip pain, osteoporosis, spinal cord injuries, opioid use in relation to the brain and bone mass.
"The most rewarding thing about clinical trials for me is that , not only that people get a chance for a free treatment, and relief for their long term medical issues, but also because they can discover more about their health through a different medical testing and diagnostic procedures we regularly perform during our trials. "
- Tiana Zdravkovich MPH, Clinical Research Project Manager at the Schnitzer Research Group
Important findings from our group and the Apkarian lab have included demonstrating that chronic pain and acute pain are distinct pain conditions, affecting different parts of the brain. Chronic pain has been shown to result in anatomic and function changes in the brain, involve the limbic system and other subcortical areas important for emotion and learning. We are exploring several new approaches to modulating these changes with existing drugs to prevent the development of chronic pain and reduce its severity.
We work in close collaboration with the Apkarian Lab in the Department of Physiology and important findings from our group and the Apkarian lab include:
- Demonstrating that chronic pain and acute pain are distinct pain conditions, affecting different parts of the brain
- Chronic pain has been shown to result in anatomic and function changes in the brain, involve the limbic system and other subcortical areas important for emotion and learning.
- We are exploring several new approaches to modulating these changes with existing drugs to prevent the development of chronic pain and reduce its severity.
