IMPACT OF EARLY EXPERIENCE ON VULVOVAGINAL SENSITIVITY IN ADULT MOUSE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Early life experience has been shown to have a profound impact on the prevalence of chronic pain. Prematurely born infants are exposed to numerous stressors, including repeated invasive procedures and prolonged periods of maternal separation, and often later develop adverse behavioral and physiological responses to painful events, as well as have a higher incidence of some functional pain disorders. Newborn rats that undergo stress or repeated painful procedures similarly develop chronic pain as adults. This study is designed to 1) determine how neonatal stress or irritation affects the sensitivity and sensory innervation of the vulva and vagina, and 2) employ a method to selectively remove the nerves responsible for pain sensations as a preclinical test for treating vulvodynia in humans. Vulvodynia affects an estimated 15% of women and is clinically defined as chronic discomfort or pain of the vulva, often occurring as burning, stinging or soreness. Little is known regarding potential changes in the nerves that supply this region and no animal models exist in the current literature. Successful completion of these studies will not only provide the first published model of vulvodynia, but is also the first step in developing a new class of compounds that alleviates chronic pelvic pain without affecting normal sensations. Considering the high degree of comorbidity between vulvodynia and other chronic pelvic pain syndromes, e.g. endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome and interstitial cystitis, chemical ablation of this population of nociceptors could also alleviate symptoms of these syndromes, as well.