# The Impact of Opioids on Chronic Pain: Clinical Research and Career Training in Spinal Cord fMRI and Brain Reward Systems

> **NIH NIH R00** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $80,450

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
Although opioids are prescribed for chronic pain due to fibromyalgia, scientific understanding of
the effects of opioid medications on central nervous system (CNS) activity and reward behavior
is limited. Current evidence strongly suggests that altered brain and spinal cord activity
contributes to the chronicity of fibromyalgia symptoms, and opioids produce similar changes in
CNS activity. To determine the longitudinal effects of opioids on CNS activity in fibromyalgia, the
proposal includes clinical neuroimaging research projects that build upon preliminary research
and training completed by Dr. Martucci during the K99 phase of her award.
During the R00 independent research phase of her award, Dr. Martucci will conduct a
longitudinal clinical research study of fibromyalgia patients, both opioid-dependent and opioid-
naïve, to determine how changes in chronic pain, accompanying symptoms, and CNS activity
over time relate to fibromyalgia disease progression both in the presence of and not in the
presence of continued opioid use.
The study aims will be conducted via two projects. Project #1 will extend preliminary research
investigating cervical spinal cord activity and the effects of opioids in patients with fibromyalgia
in a longitudinal study (over 1 year). Project #2 will extend preliminary research investigating
reward behavior and brain reward systems and the effects of opioids in patients with
fibromyalgia in a longitudinal study (over 1 year). Additional goals of the projects will be to
replicate initial findings (from the K99 phase) in a large and independent cohort of fibromyalgia
patients from a different region of the United States and to identify potential influences of
participant demographics and socioeconomic status on fibromyalgia symptoms, spinal cord
activity, reward processing, and opioid effects.
Together, these projects will provide a more complete picture of the neurophysiological effects
of opioid medications in fibromyalgia and will fill critical knowledge gaps related to potential risks
of neurobiological changes and altered psychology and behavior that may occur when
prescribing opioids.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10282724
- **Project number:** 3R00DA040154-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine Theresa Martucci
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $80,450
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10282724

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10282724, The Impact of Opioids on Chronic Pain: Clinical Research and Career Training in Spinal Cord fMRI and Brain Reward Systems (3R00DA040154-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10282724. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*