Saint Louis University (SLU)
The Cazuza lab investigates the mechanisms of glia-neuron interaction underlying chronic pain comorbidities, such as anxiety and depressive disorders. Emotional comorbidities are strongly associated with the development of high-impact chronic pain, a debilitating condition that significantly imposes major restrictions on daily life activities such as the capacity to work, motivation for social interaction, and self-care. I aim to disentangle how glia and neurons interact as this condition develops and ultimately identify possible therapeutic targets. Our current projects explore mechanisms of microglia senescence and neurodegeneration in the brain reward system on depressive-like behavior comorbid with neuropathic pain in rodent models.