# Determining the functions of tooth-innervating neurons in dental sensation

> **NIH NIH K22** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $249,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Pain has a major impact on the quality of life, remains difficult to alleviate, and has contributed to the over-
prescription of opioid analgesics that is often linked to the recent epidemic of addiction and mortality.
Clinical pain results from inappropriate signaling from the somatosensory system, caused by changes in
activity of peripheral sensory neurons and/or central processing of this input.
Molar teeth are richly innervated by specialized somatosensory neurons, yet we only notice tooth sensation
when injury or inflammation trigger intense toothache. This transformation of innocuous dental sensation
to exquisite pain underlies the most common form of orofacial pain. Here I will address the roles,
responses, and molecular mechanisms of sensory neurons innervating teeth in health and inflammation in
order to expose both tooth-specific and common pain mechanisms, and spur new ideas for development
and testing of non-opioid analgesics to alleviate pain.
The overall objective of this application is to determine the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible
for tooth sensation (mentored phase) and address how sensory input from the teeth may be transformed
to drive pain (independent phase). Powerful, cutting-edge approaches will be leveraged to develop a new
and comprehensive view of the physiological roles of tooth-innervating trigeminal sensory neurons. To
achieve this goal, Dr. Joshua Emrick will work with a mentoring team including Dr. Nicholas Ryba (primary
mentor), Dr. Mark Hoon (co-mentor), and Drs. Alexander Chesler and Jennifer L. Gibbs (collaborators). In
Aim 1, Dr. Emrick will explore the function of the tooth-innervating neurons by studying their central
connectivity and manipulating them with optogenetics. To this end, standard nocifensive assays as well as
orofacial feature categorization using machine learning will be used to evaluate pain responses. In Aim 2,
Dr. Emrick will determine how trigeminal neurons respond to stimulation of teeth using an in vivo calcium
imaging platform.
In combination, these studies will reveal new information about tooth sensation, provide a tractable model
for understanding pain, and a strategy for developing targeted clinical pain therapies. Importantly, the
proposed training will support Dr. Emrick’s career development in his transition into independence as a
dentist-scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10532813
- **Project number:** 4K22DE029779-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Joshua James Emrick
- **Activity code:** K22 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $249,000
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2021-12-01 → 2024-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10532813

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10532813, Determining the functions of tooth-innervating neurons in dental sensation (4K22DE029779-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10532813. Licensed CC0.

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