# Interaction of sex effects and intervertebral disc degeneration in a rat model of chronic back pain pathogenesis

> **NIH NIH F30** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2020 · $50,520

## Abstract

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a debilitating disorder implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic low
back pain, a leading cause of global disability and a contributor to the opioid crisis in the USA. However, the
interaction between IVD degeneration and the nervous system that leads to chronic low back pain is not well
understood. Further, while both spine impairments and chronic pain conditions are more common in women,
there are almost no studies examining the possible effects of sex on the relationship between IVD
degeneration and nervous system changes in the setting of chronic low back pain. The overall goal of the
proposed research is to determine how IVD degeneration, pain across sensory modalities, and nervous system
gene expression changes interact in the pathogenesis of chronic low back pain, and how these complicated
relationships may differ between males and females. The proposed studies apply a unique rat model to identify
novel targets for non-opioid therapies for chronic low back pain, that may enable more precise therapeutic
targeting of the pathologic changes in chronic low back pain, without the risks of opioid usage. Aim 1 will
determine how sex and IVD injury interact in the induction of structural, morphological, and biomechanical
changes in the IVD in degeneration. Aim 2 measures sex differences in pain at the behavioral level by testing
for changes in pain sensitivity across multiple sensory modalities. Aim 3 evaluates the transcription-level
changes in the nervous system that likely play a significant role in the pain sensitivity measured in Aim 2, in
order to identify possible therapeutic targets. This project is significant because of the translational potential to
the highly clinically significant problem of discogenic back pain. The approach is innovative because it
investigates the influence of sex on the pathogenesis of chronic back pain originating from intervertebral disc
injury and degeneration. Improved understanding of the influence of sex on intervertebral structure,
morphology, and biomechanics, and via what molecular pathways they may induce a chronic pain state in the
nervous system may enable better-targeted therapies to replace the use of opioid analgesics for chronic low
back pain. Such knowledge would be highly significant to the fields of orthopaedics, neuroscience, and
medicine, as clarifying these interactions may improve current treatments and reduce the global suffering from
chronic back pain. This fellowship application will also fund MD/PhD studies of a highly promising clinician-
scientist with commitment to the application of complementary and integrative health strategies to manage
chronic low back pain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978711
- **Project number:** 5F30AT010088-03
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Grace Ellen Mosley
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $50,520
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-04 → 2021-09-03

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978711

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978711, Interaction of sex effects and intervertebral disc degeneration in a rat model of chronic back pain pathogenesis (5F30AT010088-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978711. Licensed CC0.

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