Nesia Zurek, PhD
@docnessmonster.bsky.social
Pain rerouted my life - so I made it my work.
Neuro nerd. Chronic illness realist.
I believe rest is power, science is for everyone, and the body knows more than we’re taught to trust.
Neuro nerd. Chronic illness realist.
I believe rest is power, science is for everyone, and the body knows more than we’re taught to trust.
3 Myths About Chronic Pain and the Power of Movement
Living with chronic pain can feel like walking through a maze of misinformation. Let’s clear the path by busting three common myths and showing how movement can help you reclaim your life. Myth #1: “If it hurts, you should stop moving.” Reality:…
Living with chronic pain can feel like walking through a maze of misinformation. Let’s clear the path by busting three common myths and showing how movement can help you reclaim your life. Myth #1: “If it hurts, you should stop moving.” Reality:…
3 Myths About Chronic Pain and the Power of Movement
Living with chronic pain can feel like walking through a maze of misinformation. Let’s clear the path by busting three common myths and showing how movement can help you reclaim your life. Myth #1: “If it hurts, you should stop moving.” Reality: Mild discomfort ≠ harm In many chronic pain conditions, peripheral sensitization occurs—your peripheral nerves become overly reactive. This means things that shouldn’t hurt (like a light breeze) can feel painful, and mildly painful things can feel severe.
docnessmonster.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:01 PM
3 Myths About Chronic Pain and the Power of Movement
Living with chronic pain can feel like walking through a maze of misinformation. Let’s clear the path by busting three common myths and showing how movement can help you reclaim your life. Myth #1: “If it hurts, you should stop moving.” Reality:…
Living with chronic pain can feel like walking through a maze of misinformation. Let’s clear the path by busting three common myths and showing how movement can help you reclaim your life. Myth #1: “If it hurts, you should stop moving.” Reality:…
“It's supernatural
Extraterrestrial
I know a bar out in Mars
Where they drivin' spaceships instead of cars” #KatyPerry #halloween
Extraterrestrial
I know a bar out in Mars
Where they drivin' spaceships instead of cars” #KatyPerry #halloween
October 31, 2025 at 9:23 PM
“It's supernatural
Extraterrestrial
I know a bar out in Mars
Where they drivin' spaceships instead of cars” #KatyPerry #halloween
Extraterrestrial
I know a bar out in Mars
Where they drivin' spaceships instead of cars” #KatyPerry #halloween
Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD
@ninaluong.bsky.social is really upping her costume game this year. And she can still work in it!
October 31, 2025 at 3:21 PM
@ninaluong.bsky.social is really upping her costume game this year. And she can still work in it!
We lost an icon today! Activist, scientist, and a difficult woman! #JaneGoodall
October 1, 2025 at 11:22 PM
We lost an icon today! Activist, scientist, and a difficult woman! #JaneGoodall
Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD
Our final contribution to this collaboration is now online. We obtained electrophysiological recordings of DRG/TG neurons and Fos+ neurons of spinal dorsal horn & vlPAG in 2 models of neuropathic pain to study the actions of a humanized P2X4R scFv #PainResearch www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Physiological actions of a humanized P2X4 scFv on peripheral and central neurons in male mice with neuropathic pain
Neuropathic pain remains a challenging clinical condition due to its resistance to conventional analgesics. The purinergic P2X4 receptor (P2X4R), an A…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 17, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Our final contribution to this collaboration is now online. We obtained electrophysiological recordings of DRG/TG neurons and Fos+ neurons of spinal dorsal horn & vlPAG in 2 models of neuropathic pain to study the actions of a humanized P2X4R scFv #PainResearch www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
⚡We are finally electrocuting DRG neurons in the @alleslab.bsky.social since moving to @cincychildrens.bsky.social! #PainResearch #ephys #NeuroSkyence
September 10, 2025 at 5:51 PM
⚡We are finally electrocuting DRG neurons in the @alleslab.bsky.social since moving to @cincychildrens.bsky.social! #PainResearch #ephys #NeuroSkyence
🧪Biomarkers in a clinical setting for Alzheimer’s! Scientific work in identifying biomarkers for all sorts of health conditions leads to faster diagnosis, informs treatment, and improves health!
🧠Guideline Alert for use of Dementia Blood Markers
Alzheimer's Association emphasizes use of blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) with ≥90% sensitivity as triage testing and can serve as substitute tests for Amyloid PET imaging or CSF biomarker testing in Alzheimer's diagnosis.
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Alzheimer's Association emphasizes use of blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) with ≥90% sensitivity as triage testing and can serve as substitute tests for Amyloid PET imaging or CSF biomarker testing in Alzheimer's diagnosis.
1/2
Alzheimer's Association Clinical Practice Guideline on the use of blood-based biomarkers in the diagnostic workup of suspected Alzheimer's disease within specialized care settings - PubMed
This CPG provides performance-based, brand-agnostic recommendations for the use of BBMs in the diagnostic workup of suspected AD within specialized care settings. By linking recommendations to a…
buff.ly
September 4, 2025 at 10:14 PM
🧪Biomarkers in a clinical setting for Alzheimer’s! Scientific work in identifying biomarkers for all sorts of health conditions leads to faster diagnosis, informs treatment, and improves health!
🧪Word of the Week: Biomarker
A measurable signal in the body, like a molecule in the blood, that tells us something about health, disease, or response to treatment.
For pain, biomarkers could help make the invisible visible, giving us ways to track or predict pain.
#SciComm #PainResearch
A measurable signal in the body, like a molecule in the blood, that tells us something about health, disease, or response to treatment.
For pain, biomarkers could help make the invisible visible, giving us ways to track or predict pain.
#SciComm #PainResearch
September 3, 2025 at 2:56 PM
🧪Word of the Week: Biomarker
A measurable signal in the body, like a molecule in the blood, that tells us something about health, disease, or response to treatment.
For pain, biomarkers could help make the invisible visible, giving us ways to track or predict pain.
#SciComm #PainResearch
A measurable signal in the body, like a molecule in the blood, that tells us something about health, disease, or response to treatment.
For pain, biomarkers could help make the invisible visible, giving us ways to track or predict pain.
#SciComm #PainResearch
A blood test for pain?
New work in Nature identifies circulating biomarkers that distinguish chronic pain states—offering a path toward objective, biologically grounded diagnostics.
#PainResearch #Neuroskyence #Biomarkers #ScienceWatch #SciComm #ScienceInTranslation #ChronicPain
New work in Nature identifies circulating biomarkers that distinguish chronic pain states—offering a path toward objective, biologically grounded diagnostics.
#PainResearch #Neuroskyence #Biomarkers #ScienceWatch #SciComm #ScienceInTranslation #ChronicPain
Next-generation precision medicine for pain - Molecular Psychiatry
Molecular Psychiatry - Next-generation precision medicine for pain
www.nature.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:07 PM
A blood test for pain?
New work in Nature identifies circulating biomarkers that distinguish chronic pain states—offering a path toward objective, biologically grounded diagnostics.
#PainResearch #Neuroskyence #Biomarkers #ScienceWatch #SciComm #ScienceInTranslation #ChronicPain
New work in Nature identifies circulating biomarkers that distinguish chronic pain states—offering a path toward objective, biologically grounded diagnostics.
#PainResearch #Neuroskyence #Biomarkers #ScienceWatch #SciComm #ScienceInTranslation #ChronicPain
Doing my best to get better at this! You will see more and more from me as I try to communicate what we do, how we do it, and what it all means! Hoping to reach not just the science folks here on BS but non-scientists as well!
Some scientists haven't yet internalized the "why" behind science writing for the public - not just as a service, but for themselves. (I didn't always get it). In this piece for @natrevneuro.nature.com, I draw on the neuroscience of curiosity & decision making to unpack its value.
rdcu.be/eCGr7
rdcu.be/eCGr7
The unexpected value of communicating science to the public
Nature Reviews Neuroscience - As a group, our scientific community has a responsibility to unpack the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind our work for the public, not least because much...
rdcu.be
August 27, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Doing my best to get better at this! You will see more and more from me as I try to communicate what we do, how we do it, and what it all means! Hoping to reach not just the science folks here on BS but non-scientists as well!
1/ Word of the Week: Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG)
Clusters of nerve cell bodies (soma) near the spinal cord that relay sensory signals - including pain - from the body to the brain.
Curious what they look like in real human tissue? See thread below
#NeuroSkyence #PainResearch #ChronicPain #SciComm
Clusters of nerve cell bodies (soma) near the spinal cord that relay sensory signals - including pain - from the body to the brain.
Curious what they look like in real human tissue? See thread below
#NeuroSkyence #PainResearch #ChronicPain #SciComm
August 27, 2025 at 6:27 PM
1/ Word of the Week: Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG)
Clusters of nerve cell bodies (soma) near the spinal cord that relay sensory signals - including pain - from the body to the brain.
Curious what they look like in real human tissue? See thread below
#NeuroSkyence #PainResearch #ChronicPain #SciComm
Clusters of nerve cell bodies (soma) near the spinal cord that relay sensory signals - including pain - from the body to the brain.
Curious what they look like in real human tissue? See thread below
#NeuroSkyence #PainResearch #ChronicPain #SciComm
Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD
One of our final papers from this collaborative effort involving collaborators at UNM, Mayo Clinic, & McGill. Here we validate a humanized scFv targeting hP2XR. Kudos to first-author @docnessmonster.bsky.social & former lab member Mark S. for making this happen! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
August 26, 2025 at 12:37 PM
One of our final papers from this collaborative effort involving collaborators at UNM, Mayo Clinic, & McGill. Here we validate a humanized scFv targeting hP2XR. Kudos to first-author @docnessmonster.bsky.social & former lab member Mark S. for making this happen! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
🧠From Lab To Life
Why do peripheral nerves suffer axonal loss in diabetes?
A study led by @dianatavf.bsky.social from the @tedpricethepainguy.bsky.social lab showed how inflammation leads to neural fibrosis in diabetic peripheral neuropathy! #PainResearch #Neuroskyence #FromLabToLife 1/
Why do peripheral nerves suffer axonal loss in diabetes?
A study led by @dianatavf.bsky.social from the @tedpricethepainguy.bsky.social lab showed how inflammation leads to neural fibrosis in diabetic peripheral neuropathy! #PainResearch #Neuroskyence #FromLabToLife 1/
August 22, 2025 at 3:14 PM
🧠From Lab To Life
Why do peripheral nerves suffer axonal loss in diabetes?
A study led by @dianatavf.bsky.social from the @tedpricethepainguy.bsky.social lab showed how inflammation leads to neural fibrosis in diabetic peripheral neuropathy! #PainResearch #Neuroskyence #FromLabToLife 1/
Why do peripheral nerves suffer axonal loss in diabetes?
A study led by @dianatavf.bsky.social from the @tedpricethepainguy.bsky.social lab showed how inflammation leads to neural fibrosis in diabetic peripheral neuropathy! #PainResearch #Neuroskyence #FromLabToLife 1/
📸 Big day in the lab!
Our new electrophysiology rig is officially up and running — huge thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Excited for the science ahead! 🧠⚡️
@alleslab.bsky.social @cincychildrens.bsky.social #PainResearch
Our new electrophysiology rig is officially up and running — huge thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Excited for the science ahead! 🧠⚡️
@alleslab.bsky.social @cincychildrens.bsky.social #PainResearch
August 20, 2025 at 1:51 PM
📸 Big day in the lab!
Our new electrophysiology rig is officially up and running — huge thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Excited for the science ahead! 🧠⚡️
@alleslab.bsky.social @cincychildrens.bsky.social #PainResearch
Our new electrophysiology rig is officially up and running — huge thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Excited for the science ahead! 🧠⚡️
@alleslab.bsky.social @cincychildrens.bsky.social #PainResearch
Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD
This work is finally online as in-press preview!
JCI - Cell and molecular profiles in peripheral nerves shift toward inflammatory phenotypes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy www.jci.org/articles/vie...
JCI - Cell and molecular profiles in peripheral nerves shift toward inflammatory phenotypes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy www.jci.org/articles/vie...
JCI -
Cell and molecular profiles in peripheral nerves shift toward inflammatory phenotypes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy
www.jci.org
August 19, 2025 at 4:55 PM
This work is finally online as in-press preview!
JCI - Cell and molecular profiles in peripheral nerves shift toward inflammatory phenotypes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy www.jci.org/articles/vie...
JCI - Cell and molecular profiles in peripheral nerves shift toward inflammatory phenotypes in diabetic peripheral neuropathy www.jci.org/articles/vie...
Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
Harvard University lays off fly database team
The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
🔬 Very cool work from @aubinmoutal.bsky.social, @khannalabuf.bsky.social, and team! These studies reveal how auto-antibodies—like those seen in autoimmune diseases—can directly target sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia, driving painful neuropathies. #PainResearch
I’m proud to share that our first paper from the lab has just been published in Nature Communications: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This work uncovers a mechanism by which autoantibodies targeting CRMP5 contribute to neuropathic pain in paraneoplastic syndromes.
#PainResearch
This work uncovers a mechanism by which autoantibodies targeting CRMP5 contribute to neuropathic pain in paraneoplastic syndromes.
#PainResearch
Anti-CV2/CRMP5 autoantibodies as drivers of sensory neuron excitability and pain in rats - Nature Communications
Lung and thymoma cancer patients often suffer from autoimmunity and related painful neuropathies. Here the authors show that patient-derived anti-CRMP5 autoantibody binds to rat dorsal root ganglia to...
www.nature.com
August 11, 2025 at 1:50 PM
🔬 Very cool work from @aubinmoutal.bsky.social, @khannalabuf.bsky.social, and team! These studies reveal how auto-antibodies—like those seen in autoimmune diseases—can directly target sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia, driving painful neuropathies. #PainResearch
Gabapentin is widely prescribed for nerve pain, but it doesn’t work the same for everyone.
We studied actual human sensory neurons from donors and found that some responded strongly - and others hardly at all.
#fromlabtolife #neuroskyence #PainResearch 1/4
We studied actual human sensory neurons from donors and found that some responded strongly - and others hardly at all.
#fromlabtolife #neuroskyence #PainResearch 1/4
August 7, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Gabapentin is widely prescribed for nerve pain, but it doesn’t work the same for everyone.
We studied actual human sensory neurons from donors and found that some responded strongly - and others hardly at all.
#fromlabtolife #neuroskyence #PainResearch 1/4
We studied actual human sensory neurons from donors and found that some responded strongly - and others hardly at all.
#fromlabtolife #neuroskyence #PainResearch 1/4
🧠 From Lab to Life
New research shows Tylenol may quiet pain at its source by blocking Nav1.7 and Nav1.8, sodium channels critical for pain signaling.
That’s a big deal for the most common active ingredient in U.S. meds. 1/4
#FromLabToLife #PainResearch #NeuroSkyence
New research shows Tylenol may quiet pain at its source by blocking Nav1.7 and Nav1.8, sodium channels critical for pain signaling.
That’s a big deal for the most common active ingredient in U.S. meds. 1/4
#FromLabToLife #PainResearch #NeuroSkyence
August 2, 2025 at 12:45 PM
🧠 From Lab to Life
New research shows Tylenol may quiet pain at its source by blocking Nav1.7 and Nav1.8, sodium channels critical for pain signaling.
That’s a big deal for the most common active ingredient in U.S. meds. 1/4
#FromLabToLife #PainResearch #NeuroSkyence
New research shows Tylenol may quiet pain at its source by blocking Nav1.7 and Nav1.8, sodium channels critical for pain signaling.
That’s a big deal for the most common active ingredient in U.S. meds. 1/4
#FromLabToLife #PainResearch #NeuroSkyence
Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD
Now online - our studies of mouse and human sensory neurons in the context of visceral pain! #PainResearch journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
June 17, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Now online - our studies of mouse and human sensory neurons in the context of visceral pain! #PainResearch journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Nesia Zurek, PhD
Our collaborative study with the de la Peña lab is now online! Here we analyzed ephys & transcriptomic actions of gabapentin on hDRG neurons. Kudos to co-first authors Jenna & @docnessmonster.bsky.social. Special thks to our donors & their families #PainResearch journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
July 14, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Our collaborative study with the de la Peña lab is now online! Here we analyzed ephys & transcriptomic actions of gabapentin on hDRG neurons. Kudos to co-first authors Jenna & @docnessmonster.bsky.social. Special thks to our donors & their families #PainResearch journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
In case anyone tells you “you aren’t worth anything,” your genetic data is worth $17 million. #23andMe #Regeneron #DNA #IAmNotForSale
Regeneron to buy bankrupt DNA testing firm 23andMe for $256 million | CNN Business
Drugmaker Regeneron Pharmaceuticals will buy genetic testing firm 23andMe for $256 million through a bankruptcy auction, the companies said Monday.
www.cnn.com
May 19, 2025 at 6:38 PM
In case anyone tells you “you aren’t worth anything,” your genetic data is worth $17 million. #23andMe #Regeneron #DNA #IAmNotForSale
We are officially in Cincy! #neuroskyence #painresearch
April 30, 2025 at 11:30 AM
We are officially in Cincy! #neuroskyence #painresearch
April 17, 2025 at 11:48 PM