Selected publications from investigators working at the Mass General Center for Translational Pain Research.

Selected Bibliography

Selected peer-reviewed publications (from over 130 publications)

Mao J, Mayer DJ, Price DD. Patterns of increased brain activity indicative of pain in a rat model of peripheral mononeuropathy. J Neurosci. 1993; 13:2689-2702.


Mao J, Price DD, Mayer DJ. Thermal hyperalgesia in association with the development of morphine tolerance: roles of excitatory amino acid receptors and protein kinase. C. Journal of Neurosci. 1994; 14:2301-2312.


Mao J, Sung B, Ji RR, Lim G. Neuronal apoptosis associated with morphine tolerance: evidence for an opioid-induced neurotoxic mechanism. Journal of Neurosci. 2002; 22:7650-7661.


Mao J, Sung B, Ji RR, Lim G. Chronic morphine induces downregulation of spinal glutamate transporters: implications in morphine tolerance and abnormal pain sensitivity. Journal of Neurosci. 2002; 22:8312-8323.


Sung B, Lim G, Mao J. Altered expression and uptake activity of spinal glutamate transporters following nerve injury contributes to the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain in rats. Journal of Neurosci. 2003; 23;2899-2910.


Ballantyne J, Mao J. Opioid therapy for chronic pain. New England Journal of Medicine. 2003; 349:1943-1953.


Wang S, Lim G, Zeng Q, Yang L, Sung B, Mao J. Expression of spinal glucocorticoid receptors following peripheral nerve injury contributes to neuropathic pain behaviors in rats. Journal of Neurosci. 2004; 24:8595-8605.


Wang S, Lim G, Zeng Q, Yang L, Sung B, Mao J. Central glucocorticoid receptors modulate the expression and function of spinal NMDA receptors after peripheral nerve injury. Journal of Neurosci. 2005; 25:488-495.


Lim G, Wang S, Zeng Q, Sung B, Yang L, Mao J. Expression of spinal NMDA receptor and PKCgamma after chronic morphine is regulated by spinal glucocorticoid receptor. Journal of Neurosci. 2005; 25:11145-11154.


Yang L, Wang S, Sung B, Lim G, Mao J. Morphine induces ubiquitin-proteasome activity and glutamate transporter degradation. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2008; 283:21703-21713.


Lim G, Wang S, Zhang Y, Tian YH, Mao J. Spinal leptin contributes to the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2009; 119:295-304.


Tian Y, Wang S, Ma Y, Lim G, Kim H, Mao J. Leptin enhances NMDA-induced spinal excitation in rats: a functional link between adipocytokine and neuropathic pain. Pain. 2011, 152:1263-1271.


Kim H, Chen L, Lim G, Sung B, Wang S, McCabe MF, Rusanescu G, Yang L, Tian Y, Mao J. Brain indoleamine 2, 3 dioxygenase contributes to the comorbidity of pain and depression. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2012, 122:2940-2954.


Mao J. Current challenges in translational pain research. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2012 Nov;33(11):568-73. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2012.08.001. Epub 2012 Sep 6.


Shen S, Lim G, You Z, Ding W, Huang P, Ran C, Doheny J, Caravan P, Tate S, Hu K, Kim H, McCabe M, Huang B, Xie Z, Kwon D,  Chen L, Mao J. Gut microbiota is critical to the induction of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic painNature Neuroscience. 2017, In press