# Probing the role of serotonin in neuropathic pain with flexible carbon microelectrode arrays

> **NIH NIH R01** · LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $295,680

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Antidepressants have been front-line treatments for chronic pain for years. However, clinical efficacy of
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) has been moderate and highly variable across different
conditions, which calls for a deeper understanding of 5-HT’s role in modulating pain, in an anatomical and
receptor-specific manner. One area of recent interest is the amygdala. After neuropathic injury, neural activity in
the amygdala changes during the chronification process, while changes in 5-HT have also been detected.
Inhibition of the 5-HT2C receptor in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) “permits” SSRI-induced
reduction of pain in rodents. In addition, genetic disruption of 5-HT2C prevents neuropathic pain development.
Taken together these data support the hypothesis that increases in 5-HT signaling through the 5-HT2C
contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain and ultimately influence the ability of
SSRI’s to be used to treat pain.
 To test this hypothesis, it is necessary to monitor 5-HT dynamics and neural activity over time in the BLA
after neuropathic injury from acute through chronic phases. Currently no implantable sensor is capable of multi-
channel detection of both phasic and tonic 5-HT release while recording electrophysiology over days. In this
proposal, we introduce novel flexible multi-electrode arrays “GC-MEAs” that made of glassy carbon
microelectrode sites and interconnects on flexible and ultrathin polymer substrate. The GC-MEAs will be capable
of phasic 5-HT (with fast scan cyclic voltammetry) and tonic 5-HT (with square wave voltammetry) detections,
as well as neural activity recordings in vivo over 4 weeks. Our GC-MEAs represent a substantive technological
breakthrough in the understanding of 5-HT dynamics. First (Aim 1), we will optimize the fabrication process and
materials to obtain the most robust device with stable, sensitive and selective detection. Next (Aim 2) we will
validate this technology in the BLA acutely and chronically for four weeks. Finally (Aim 3), we will monitor tonic
and phasic 5-HT as well as neural activities in the BLA of mice during acute and chronic phases of a Spared
Nerve Injury (SNI), with or without SSRI treatment and 5-HT2C inhibition in BLA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10624976
- **Project number:** 5R01NS126454-03
- **Recipient organization:** LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Elisa Castagnola
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $295,680
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10624976

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10624976, Probing the role of serotonin in neuropathic pain with flexible carbon microelectrode arrays (5R01NS126454-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10624976. Licensed CC0.

---

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