Hunt for a cure
Facial pain group funds UF's hunt for cure for trigeminal neuralgia, related neuropathic pain
Researchers from a variety of disciplines at UF are on a mission to cure one of modern medicine’s least understood and most painful conditions: trigeminal neuralgia, or TN.
The Facial Pain Research Foundation, founded by Michael Pasternak, has assembled investigators from across the U.S., Canada and Britain to find a cure for TN and related neuropathic pain. Pasternak’s foundation has contributed $1.66 million since 2011 to researchers affiliated with the McKnight Brain Institute of UF and representing neuroscience, dentistry, neurosurgery and biomedical engineering.
“Two of our five research projects are here at UF,” Pasternak said. “The McKnight Brain Institute has the capacity to work in partnerships with other institutions. They understand working together to solve a problem.”
UF associate professor of orthodontics and adjunct faculty in neuroscience John Neubert, PhD, serves as project coordinator in the search for TN’s causes. This project tracks brain and spinal cord activity in animals and humans experiencing TN.
Lucia Notterpek, PhD, professor and chair of the UF department of neuroscience, leads a study focusing on myelin, the insulating material in the nervous system. Trigeminal neuralgia is a type of neuropathic pain caused by injury to or malfunctioning of the nervous system. Those afflicted describe the pain as lightning flashes when their tongue touches the inside of their mouth, or even when wind blows against their cheeks. In the past, the condition has been misdiagnosed as a toothache.
Douglas K. Anderson, PhD, director of research for the Facial Pain Research Foundation and eminent scholar, professor and chair emeritus for the UF College of Medicine department of neuroscience, said the findings of the foundation’s five projects can translate to other research areas.
“If we can find the genes and pathways causing this problem and find a way to deliver a pain reducer or inhibitor, it will have an impact on how we look at any pain associated with nerves,” Anderson said.
Pasternak became affected by TN in 1990. His dentist recommended a root canal, but the pain persisted. Months passed before he was diagnosed with TN. He was prescribed anti-seizure medication, which made him groggy and caused some memory loss. He underwent microvascular surgery and has been pain-free for more than 20 years. His struggles are what inspired him to create the foundation in 2011.
“I don’t know six people with TN who’ve gone 20 years without the pain coming back,” he said. In addition to anti-seizure medication, current treatments for TN include procedures like microvascular decompression surgery, which separates blood vessels from nerves, leaving a Teflon pillow between them. The surgery leads to pain relief for some, but not all.
“These medicines and risky surgeries aren’t good enough,” Pasternak said. “They work for some and not for others. We’re after a cure.”
For more information on The Facial Pain Research Foundation, visit http://facingfacialpain.org.
