Joyce Da Silva, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry is the recipient of a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate how green light therapy may relieve chronic pain and anxiety.
This pioneering project will be the first to map how the entire brain changes as chronic pain develops, and as green light therapy is applied. Da Silva and her team, including co-investigator Jin Ro, PhD, MA, professor, Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, aim to answer a central question: Can green light reverse, or even prevent, the brain changes caused by chronic pain and anxiety?
By uncovering the neural mechanisms behind this promising non-pharmacological therapy, the research has the potential to open new avenues for safe and effective treatments for millions living with chronic pain and anxiety.
Da Silva has also been awarded a four-year, $402,000 NIH grant in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego, to investigate brain differences associated with individual vulnerability to alcohol use disorder. By integrating preclinical and clinically relevant approaches, this research could help pave the way for more personalized strategies to prevent and treat alcohol use disorder and reduce its impact on public health.