# CNS Mechanisms of IC/BPS

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $572,714

## Abstract

Abstract
Interstitial cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a serious and painful condition of unknown etiology
that affects 3-6% of women in the United States. The major clinical symptoms of IC/BPS are pain on bladder
filling and increased urinary urgency and frequency. The majority of IC/BPS patients (90%) also suffer from
comorbid anxiety and/or depression, contributing to a poor quality of life. The high rate of comorbid affective
disorders in IC/BPS patients suggests that a common supraspinal neural circuit may be responsible for both
enhanced pain and negative affect in patients with IC/BPS. Based on a large body of work in the
neurosciences, we hypothesize that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) is a crucial hub of neuronal
activity that regulates both bladder pain and negative affect. In this project, we propose a series of studies
that seeks to determine the necessity and sufficiency of neuronal subpopulations in the CeA in the
induction of voiding dysfunction, pain sensitization, and comorbid anxiety and depression in models of
cystitis. Does activation of this circuit lead only to hypersensitivity to stimulation, or is this also critical for
ongoing or spontaneous pain? Does the same population of neurons mediate both pain sensitization and
increased anxiety following injury? What are the critical inputs and projections from these neurons that lead
to these debilitating consequences of cystitis? We employ a multidisciplinary approach including viral
anatomical tract tracing, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and in vivo imaging of neural activity in awake, freely
moving mice to address these questions. These studies will provide new insights into the critical role of the
CeA in bladder pain and comorbid affective disorders in the context of bladder pain syndrome, and provide
the basis for future studies building on this to gain insights into circuit, cellular and synaptic mechanisms of
voiding dysfunction, chronic pain and comorbid anxiety and depression.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10166836
- **Project number:** 5R01DK116178-04
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert W Gereau
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $572,714
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10166836

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10166836, CNS Mechanisms of IC/BPS (5R01DK116178-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10166836. Licensed CC0.

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