Contact Information:

Email: rsorge@uab.edu
Office Phone: (205) 934 3850
Fax: (205) 975 6110

Education:

B. Sc. (Honours), 2000, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
M.A., 2001, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Ph.D., 2006, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Research Program:

My research program follows two main paths. The first is the interplay between addiction and pain. I use animal models to explore and dissociate the analgesic (pain-relieving) from the addictive (reinforcing) properties of drugs. The second major focus is the role of the immune system in pain sensitivity. Using genetically-modified animals, it is possible to determine the contribution of discrete aspects of the immune system to pain and sensitivity.

Representative Publications:

Sorge RE et al. (2012). Genetically determined P2X7 receptor pore formation regulates variability in chronic pain sensitivity. Nature Medicine, 18 (4): 595-9.

Matsumiya LC, Sorge RE, Sotocinal SG, Tabaka, JM, Wieskopf JS, Zaloum A, King OD & Mogil JS (2012). Using the Mouse Grimace Scale to reevaluate the efficacy of postoperative analgesics in laboratory mice. Journal of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science, 51(1); 4209.

Sorge RE et al. (2011). Spinal Toll-like receptor 4 mediates inflammatory and neuropathic hypersensitivity in male but not female mice. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(43): 15450-4.

Mogil JS, Sorge RE et al. (2011). Pain sensitivity and vasopressin analgesia are mediated by a gene-sex-environment interaction. Nature Neuroscience, 14(12): 1569-73.

Sorge RE,, Rajabi H & Stewart J. (2005). Rats maintained chronically on buprenorphine show reduced heroin and cocaine seeking in tests of extinction and drug-induced reinstatement. Neuropsychopharmacology, 30(9): 1681-92.