Dr. DeBerry's research uses an integrative, multi-pronged approach to understanding the mechanisms contributing to changes in the sensory nervous system that lead to, or help maintain, increased or decreased sensation. Her primary interest is visceral sensory neurobiology. Research in her laboratory combines in vivo behavioral techniques with optogenetics, electrophysiology, molecular biology, and cellular imaging to study the phenotype and function of primary afferent neurons and the spinal dorsal horn neurons with which they synapse. Animal models of inflammation, stress, and spinal cord injury allow for systematic investigations of various changes in sensory processing that lead to increased sensation (hyperalgesia, allodynia), loss of sensation, and altered organ function. The overarching goal of this work is to identify novel therapeutic strategies to mitigate or manage pain and restore normal organ function. 

Education

Graduate
University of Alabama at Birmingham (Ph.D., Psychology-Behavioral Neuroscience)

University of Pittsburgh
Postdoctoral Scholar; Neurobiology; Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition; Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research

Contact

Office Location
PBMR, 202

Email
jenniferdeberry@uabmc.edu

Phone
205-934-4668