Faculty Profile:

Norman F. Capra, Ph.D.
Professor

Department of Neural and Pain Sciences
Dental School

410-706-4219

ncapra@umaryland.edu

Research

The Neurological Basis of Oral and Facial Function
Research in my laboratory is directed toward understanding the neural basis for perception of jaw position and changes in jaw position (mandibular kinesthesia). Integration of sensory information transmitted to the central nervous system by a variety of oral-facial receptors occurs in several relatively discrete regions of the brainstem. This integration is necessary for accurate perception of jaw position and for the proper coordination of oral motor function including mastication, swallowing and speech. Our recent experiment show that pain (i.e. nociceptive activity) modulates central trigeminal neurons that process kinesthetic information; either for the purpose of enhancing kinesthetic perception or to provide the substrate for adaptive responses in the presence of deep tissue pain. Abnormalities of neural processing in these circuits is thought to be an etiologic factor in a number of clinical signs and symptoms ranging from orofacial pain to production of uncontrolled (dystonic) motor activity.

http://gpilsinside.umaryland.edu/Web%20files/Neuroscience/ncapra1.gif

Lab Techniques

Extracellular microelectrode recording methods are used to assess neuronal responses to proprioceptive and other somatosensory stimuli in animal models. The morphology of central neuronal circuits involved in jaw kinesthesia is studied with immunocytochemical, histochemical, and ultrastructural techniques. Other interests in the laboratory include studies of intraoral mechanosensory mechanisms and neuroplasticity in somatosensory pathways. Ongoing research is supported by an R01 grant from National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research entitled "Kinesthetic Mechanisms in the Trigeminal System."

Publications

Ro, JY, Lee, J. Capra NF, Zhang, Y. Role of soluble guanylate cyclase in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis in capsaicin-induced muscle hypersensitivity. Brain Res. 2007, 1184:141-148,

Capra, NF, Hisley, CK, Masri RM The influence of pain on masseter spindle afferent discharge. Arch. Oral Biol. 2007 52: 387-390.

Ro, JY, Capra, NF, Lee, JS, Masri, R, Chun YH Hypertonic saline-induced muscle nociception and c-fos activation are partially mediated by peripheral NMDA receptors. Eur. J. Pain 2007, 11:398-405

Ro JY, Capra, NF Assessing mechanical sensitivity of masseter muscle in lightly anesthetized rats: a model for craniofacial muscle hyperalgesia. Neurosci. Res. 2006, 56: 119-123.

Masri,R., Ro,J.Y., Dessem, D. and Capra, N. Classification of Muscle Spindle Afferents Innervating the Masseter Muscle in Rats. Archs. Oral Biol. 2006 51:740-747.

Masri, R. Ro, J.Y. and Capra, N.F. The effect of experimental muscle pain on the amplitude and velocity sensitivity of jaw closing muscle spindle afferents. Brain Res. 1050: 138-147, 2005.

Capra, N.F. and Ro, J.Y. Human and animal experimental models of acute and chronic muscle pain: Intramuscular algesic injection, Topical Review, Pain, 110: 3-7, 2004.

Ro, J.Y., Capra, N.F., and Masri Contribution of peripheral N-Methyl-D- Aspartate receptors on c-fos expression in the trigeminal spinal nucleus following acute masseteric inflammation. Neurosci, 123: 213-219, 2004.

Ro,J.Y., Capra N, Masri,R. Development of a behavioral assessment of craniofacial muscle pain in lightly anesthetized rats, Pain 104: 179-185, 2003.

Ro,J.Y. ,Harriott, A., Crouse,U., and Capra, Norman F. Innocuous jaw movements increase c-fos expression in trigeminal sensory uclei produced by masseter muscle inflammation, Pain, 104:539-548, 2003.

Ro,J.Y., Svensson,P. and N. Capra Effects of experimental muscle pain on electromyographic activity of masticatory muscles in anesthetized rats. Muscle Nerve :576-584, 2002.

Ro, J.Y. and Capra, N.F. Modulation of jaw muscle spindle afferent activity following intramuscular injections with hypertonic saline. Pain 92:117-127, 2001.

Shumacher, M.A., Jong, B.E., Frey, S.L. Sudanagunta, S.P., Capra, N.F., and Levine, J.D. The stretch-inactivated channel, a vanilloid receptor variant, is expressed in small-diameter sensory neurons in rats. Neurosci. Lett. 287:215-218, 2000.

Capra, N.F. and Ro, J.Y. Experimental muscle pain produces central modulation of proprioceptive signals arising from jaw muscle spindles. Pain 86:151-162,2000.

Ro, J.Y. and Capra, N.F. Evidence for subnucleus interpolaris in craniofacial muscle pain mechanisms demonstrated by intramuscular injections with hypertonic saline. Brain Res. 842: 166-183, 1999.

Personal History

I earned both the M.S. (1975) and Ph.D.(1976) in Anatomy from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In addition to my graduate experience in Anatomy, I was a member of one of the first integrated programs in Neuroscience in the Southeast. Upon graduation, I accepted a faculty position in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Mississippi Medical School. I joined the Physiology Department at the University of Maryland Dental School in 1990. In 1995, the basic science departments in the Dental School were consolidated to form the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Presently, I am a Professor and Program Director for a Training Grant to study topics related to oral and craniofacial biology.

Laboratory Personnel

Steffan Frahm, Fellow from Aalborg University, Denmark, kfrahm@umaryland.edu

Gregory A. Haynes, Research Assistant, Behavioral Research ghaynes@umaryland.edu

Youping Zhang, Reseach Assistant, Immunocytochemistry and Molecular Biology yozhang@umaryland.edu

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