Angela Henderson-Redmond, PhD 
Assistant Professor 
redmonda@marshall.edu

Research Focus

My research career is focused on identifying the neurobiological pathways that mediate neuropathic pain development and in sensitivity and tolerance development to select pharmacotherapies used in the management of chronic pain. Specifically, I have a strong interest in identifying sex and genetic differences underlying analgesic efficacy (or lack thereof) to standard (opioid) and novel pharmacotherapies (i.e., cannabinoids, including CBD) for the management of chronic pain and the neurobiological mechanisms mediating these differences. Given the current opioid crisis and the increasing legalization and recognition of cannabis for its analgesic properties, it is my goal to utilize various mouse models of chronic pain (including the clinically relevant models of chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve; chemotherapy-evoked neuropathy; and traumatic brain injury (TBI), to assess the clinical potential of cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds, including (∆9-THC) and especially cannabidiol (CBD) for managing chronic pain. As more women than men suffer from chronic pain conditions and because pain development is sexually dimorphic and often is concomitant with both negative affect (more prominent in females) and substance abuse disorders (more prominent in men), my most research also includes assessingwhether there are sex differences in vulnerability to affect and/or alcohol use following chronic pain and/or TBI and how cannabinoids, in particular the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD), can be utilized both alone and as an adjuvant to combat chronic pain in these clinically relevant pain models. Ultimately, I would like to incorporate the findings from my preclinical studies to examine the clinical efficacy of CBD particularly in patient populations that have experienced various forms of chronic pain and those that have developed concomitant substance abuse disorders as a form of “self-medication,” to help identify better ways to treat pain and prevent substance use disorders from developing by limiting the formation of chronic pain or finding better alternatives to manage pain from the onset.