# Deconstructing Somatic and Visceral Pain using Multimodal Neurobiological and Clinical Markers

> **NIH NIH F99** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $39,636

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Pain can be categorized as being somatic, which emanates from superficial body structures such as the skin
and muscles, or visceral, which emanates from internal organs. The central nervous system (CNS) regulates
both somatic and visceral pain. The relevant brain circuitry for pain encompasses a distributed set of regions
including the cingulate, insular, frontal, and parietal cortices. Using innovative data analytic algorithms, the
coordinated activity within this network of brain regions can be modeled as a connectome. The primary focus
for the proposed F99 and K00 work is to better understand the shared and distinct features of the pain
connectome in somatic vs. visceral pain.
The clinical relevance of somatic and visceral pain is timely. Chronic pain is a major burden to society, as pain
management in the U.S. remains poor, primarily due to a lack of understanding of CNS mechanisms behind
pain. In many somatic pain conditions such as Fibromyalgia (FM), there is a dysfunction within mutliple CNS
regions in the absence of any identifiable peripheral injury, leading to symptoms such as widespread body
pain, fatigue, sleep problems, and heightened sensory sensitivity. This phenomenon goes by many terms
including pain centralization, central sensitization, and nociplastic pain. Over recent years, there is increasing
neurobiological evidence of these processes in visceral pain disorders such as Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain
Syndrome (UCPPS), yet there is still much that is unknown.
My overall objective is to identify mechanisms in the connectome that contribute to chronic somatic and
visceral pain. My short-term scientific and training goal during the F99 phase is to learn and apply connectome-
based analytics to functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data obtained from somatic pain conditions
such as FM, and how non-pharmacologic treatment can modify the connectome. This offers a foundational
premise for the long-term goal, which I will complete during the K00 phase, which is to investigate neurobiology
of visceral pain of urologic origin, in conditions such as UCPPS and Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB). For
the study of UCPPS and OAB, I will be leveraging data collected from two major NIDDK-funded multisite
research initiatives: the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network and
the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN). Combined, the proposed F99
and K00 training plan will allow me to gain expertise and independence as a somatic and visceral pain
researcher.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10218166
- **Project number:** 5F99DK126121-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Ishtiaq Mawla
- **Activity code:** F99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $39,636
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10218166

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10218166, Deconstructing Somatic and Visceral Pain using Multimodal Neurobiological and Clinical Markers (5F99DK126121-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10218166. Licensed CC0.

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