Bin Pan, MD, PhD Professor

Department of Neurobiology 
2.154 Medical Research Building
Route: 1069 | Tel: (409) 772-2149 | Email: bipan@utmb.edu

Education and Training

Post-Doctoral training in Neurobiology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
PhD in Physiology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
MD, Medicine and Neurology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China

Research Interests

The goal of my lab is to contribute our talent to exploring the mechanisms of brain functions and neurological diseases and translating our findings to clinics, easing patients' suffering.

 Our current studies investigate 1) the neurobiology of endocannabinoid signaling and its role in pain and depression, 2) the mechanisms of analgesic effects of neuromodulation, including dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord stimulation, 3) the role of primary sensory neurons CaMKII in pain, 4) neural mechanisms of osteoarthritis, and 5) mechanisms of Traumatic Brain Injury.


Selected Publications

  1. Tran H, Chao D, Hogan QH, Qing-song Liu, Pan B. Descending Mechanism by which Medial Prefrontal Cortex Endocannabinoid Signaling Controls Development of Neuropathic Pain and Neuronal Activity of Dorsal Root Ganglion. Pain; 2024, 165(1):102-114, doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002992. PMCID: PMC10787817
  2. Mecca CM, Chao D, Yu G, Segel I, Zhang Z, Pawela C, Hillard CJ, Hogan QH, Pan B. Endocannabinoids in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Controls Depression after Neuropathic Pain. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2021;41(35):7492-7508. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3135-20.2021.
  3. Pan B, Wang W, Zhong P, Blankman C, Cravatt BF and Liu QS. Alterations of

    endocannabinoid signaling, synaptic plasticity, learning and memory in monoacylglycerol lipase knockout mice, The Journal of Neuroscience 2011, 31(38): 13420 –13430.

  4. Pan B, Zhong P, Sun DL, and Liu QS. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling in the ventral tegmental area mediates cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity and rewarding effects, The Journal of Neuroscience 2011, 31(31):11244-11255.

  5. Pan B, Hillard CJ, Liu QS. Endocannabinoid signaling mediates cocaine-induced inhibitory synaptic plasticity in midbrain dopamine neurons, The Journal of Neuroscience 2008, 28(6):1385-1397.
  6. Pan B, Hillard CJ, Liu QS. D2 dopamine receptor activation facilitates endocannabinoid-mediated LTD of GABAergic synaptic transmission in midbrain dopamine neurons via cAMP-PKA signaling. The Journal of Neuroscience 2008, 28(52):14018-14030.

Analgesic mechanisms of DRG stimulation.

  1. Chao D, Tran H, Hogan QH, Pan B. Analgesic Dorsal Root Ganglion Field Stimulation Blocks Both Afferent and Efferent Spontaneous Activity in Sensory Neurons of Rats with Monosodium Iodoacetate-induced Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2022, 30(11):1468-1481. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2022.08.008.
  2. Chao D, Mecca CM, Yu G, Segel I, Gold MS, Hogan QH, Pan B. Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation of Injured Sensory Neurons in Rats Rapidly Eliminates their Spontaneous Activity and Relieves Spontaneous Pain. Pain, 2021 Apr 2.doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002284.
  3. Chao D, Zhang Z, Mecca MC, Hogan QH, Pan B. Analgesic dorsal root ganglionic field stimulation blocks conduction of afferent impulse trains selectively in nociceptive sensory afferents. Pain 2020; 161(12):2872-2886.
  4. Yu G, Segel I, Zhang Z, Hogan QH, Pan B. Dorsal root ganglion stimulation alleviates pain-related behaviors in rats with nerve injury and osteoarthritis. Anesthesiology 2020; 133(2):408-425.

Mechanisms of short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity and its involvement in pain, depression, and addiction.

  1. Mecca CM, Chao D, Yu G, Segel I, Zhang Z, Pawela C, Hillard CJ, Hogan QH, Pan B. Endocannabinoids in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Controls Depression after Neuropathic Pain. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2021;41(35):7492-7508. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3135-20.2021.
  2. Pan B, Zucker RS. A general model of synaptic transmission and short-term plasticity, Neuron 2009, 62(4):539-554.
  3. Pan B, Hillard CJ, Liu QS. Endocannabinoid signaling mediates cocaine-induced inhibitory synaptic plasticity in midbrain dopamine neurons, The Journal of Neuroscience 2008, 28(6):1385-1397.

Arthritis.

  1. Chao D, Tran H, Hogan QH, Pan B. Analgesic Dorsal Root Ganglion Field Stimulation Blocks Both Afferent and Efferent Spontaneous Activity in Sensory Neurons of Rats with Monosodium Iodoacetate-induced Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2022, 30(11):1468-1481. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2022.08.008.
  2. Pan B, Zhang Z, Chao D, Hogan QH. Dorsal Root Ganglion Field Stimulation Prevents Inflammation and Joint Damage in a Rat Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Neuromodulation, 2018;21(3):247-253.

Mechanisms of Traumatic Brain Injury.

  1. Feng Y, Li K, Roth E, Chao D, Mecca CM, Hogan QH, Pawela C, Kwok WM, Camara AKS, Pan B. Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats Impairs Cognition, Enhances Prefrontal Cortex Neuronal Activity, and Reduces Pre-synaptic Mitochondrial Function. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 2021 Aug 10;15:689334. DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.689334