# Validation of blocking TSP4/Cava2d1 interaction as a new target for neuropathic pain

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2022 · $366,963

## Abstract

Abstract
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and its related dementias (AD/ADRD), estimated to be >60%
of the elderly population, often insufficiently report their pain suffering and are therefore
undertreated. This includes orofacial pain suffering that is prevalent in around 10% of patients
with dementia and as high as 48.8% of older nursing home residents with dementia
. However,
little is known if reduced complain of pain in AD/ADRD patients is due to changes in pain
processing (sensory-discriminative) or changes in cognitive-evaluative and motivational-affective
aspects of pain. Furthermore, a recent study reported sex-specific differences in sensory-
discriminative and affective-emotional aspects of pain in an Alzheimer’s disease model (AD-
mice). We
hypothesize that AD/ADRD
and aging may affect physiopathological and/or
cognitive/affective aspects of orofacial pain states in a sex-specific manner. This supplemental
research is designed to use an automated orofacial testing device to investigate (1) the effects of
AD/ADRD
and aging in discriminative and cognitive/affective dimensions of orofacial sensation
and neuropathic pain processing in male and female AD-mice and aging rats; (2) their sensitivity
to anti-orofacial-pain peptide treatments optimized in the parent grant research. Successful
completion of the proposed research will allow us to determine if the physiopathology and/or
cognitive/affective aspects of orofacial sensitivity as well as orofacial sensitivity to anti-orofacial-
pain peptide treatments are modulated by AD/ADRD and aging in a sex-specific manner.
Therefore, this supplemental research is relevant to AD/ADRD and within the scope of the parent
award that is not currently focused on Alzheimer’s disease. Promising data generated from this
investigation will be used to form the basis for new investigations through competing grant
applications in the field of neurobiology/pharmacology related to AD/ADRD and orofacial pain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10499934
- **Project number:** 3R01DE029202-01S3
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** ZHIGANG David LUO
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $366,963
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10499934

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10499934, Validation of blocking TSP4/Cava2d1 interaction as a new target for neuropathic pain (3R01DE029202-01S3). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10499934. Licensed CC0.

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