Theanne Griffith, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Our ability to accurately encode thermal signals is critical for survival and allows us to avoid potentially harmful ambient conditions. Additionally, aberrant temperature encoding is a hallmark of various pathologies, including certain forms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and sickle-cell anemia. Despite the essential nature of thermosensation to human survival, our understanding of thermal processing in the peripheral nervous system is limited. The identification of temperature-sensing ion channels, such as TRPV1 and TRPM8, has advanced our knowledge of how thermosensory transduction is initiated; however, a major outstanding question in sensory physiology is how thermal information is transmitted to the central nervous system. The long-term goal of the Griffith lab is to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission of thermal sensations in both health and disease. We aim to identify the ion channels and receptors that constitute the transmission machinery in thermosensitive sensory neurons, as well as understand how their function is regulated under physiological and pathological conditions. To accomplish this, we use innovation combination of mouse genetics, patch-clamp electrophysiology, behavior, molecular profiling, and imaging.