UNC was one of four universities selected by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to receive grant money for a five-year research study on various pain disorders.
The collaborative research program, which totals more than $16 million dollars, will attempt to reveal the risk factors and genetic markers for people who are more prone to pain disorders.
Such chronic pain conditions include jaw-related disorders, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and lower back pain.
The study will investigate the behaviors, psychological characteristics and genetic factors of 6,200 adults that contribute to the development and persistence of common chronic pain conditions.
The University of Florida at Gainesville, the University at Buffalo and the University of Maryland at Baltimore are the other recipients of the grant money.
