Robert LaMotte, PhD
Emeritus FacultyCards
Appointments
Contact Info
Anesthesiology
PO Box 208051, 333 Cedar Street, TMP 3
New Haven, CT 06520-8051
United States
About
Titles
Emeritus Faculty
Biography
Dr. Robert H. LaMotte is a Professor of Anesthesiology and of Neuroscience at the Yale School of Medicine. Before joining Yale, Dr. LaMotte was a PHS Postdoctoral Fellow of Physiology and an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Physiology at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He received his MS and PhD from Kansas State University and became a NASA Fellow of Psychology there in 1964. Dr. LaMotte received the Jacob K. Javits Neuroscience Award in 1984 and again in 1991. He was the Associate Editor of The Journal of Neuroscience from 1981 to 1985 and has been on the Editorial Board of a range of medical journals, most recently, Pain Forum and The Journal of Pain. Dr. LaMotte now runs his own laboratory at the Yale School of Medicine using the methods of single-cell electrophysiology and sensory psychophysics to study the peripheral neural mechanisms of pain and itch in humans and animals.
Appointments
Anesthesiology
EmeritusPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Fellow
- Johns Hopkins University (1970)
- PhD
- Kansas State University (1968)
- Fellow
- Kansas State University (1966)
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
ORCID
0000-0002-9079-8639- View Lab Website
LaMotte Lab
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Patrick Gallagher, MD, BS
Stephen Waxman, MD, PhD
Sulayman Dib-Hajj, PhD
Slav Bagriantsev, PhD
Pain
Neurons
Nociceptive Pain
Neurophysiology
Publications
2024
Allergic Contact Dermatitis: A Model of Inflammatory Itch and Pain in Human and Mouse
LaMotte R. Allergic Contact Dermatitis: A Model of Inflammatory Itch and Pain in Human and Mouse. 2024, 23-32. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-8921-8_2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSquaric acid dibutyl esterAllergic contact dermatitisPersistent itchingPathogenesis of allergic contact dermatitisPain-like behaviorsMechanically evoked itchMechanisms of itchPeripheral neural mechanismsClinically significant problemReceptor CXCR3Excitatory responsesIP-10Chemokine CXCL10In vivo recordingsCutaneous sitesLocal inflammationSpontaneous activityPruritic disordersAnimal modelsPainTopical applicationItchingItch disordersMiceTherapeutic targetItch and Pain Behaviors in Irritant Contact Dermatitis Produced by Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in Mice
Malewicz-Oeck N, Zhang Z, Shimada S, LaMotte R. Itch and Pain Behaviors in Irritant Contact Dermatitis Produced by Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in Mice. International Journal Of Molecular Sciences 2024, 25: 7718. PMID: 39062959, PMCID: PMC11276812, DOI: 10.3390/ijms25147718.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsIrritant contact dermatitisDay 1Heat stimuliSkin inflammationSigns of spontaneous painContact dermatitisHyperalgesia-like behaviorResponses to pruritogensPain-like behaviorsSodium lauryl sulfateCompared to salineMeasurement of skin thicknessSpontaneous painIncreased skin thicknessHistamine-dependentPain behaviorCutaneous inflammationScratching boutsMouse modelPainSkin thicknessItchingInflammationMiceDay 0
2018
Anti-nociceptive effects of bupivacaine-encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles applied to the compressed dorsal root ganglion in mice
Wang T, Hurwitz O, Shimada SG, Tian D, Dai F, Zhou J, Ma C, LaMotte RH. Anti-nociceptive effects of bupivacaine-encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles applied to the compressed dorsal root ganglion in mice. Neuroscience Letters 2018, 668: 154-158. PMID: 29355697, PMCID: PMC5829013, DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.01.031.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsDorsal root gangliaBehavioral hypersensitivityNeuronal hyperexcitabilityRoot gangliaCompressed dorsal root ganglionNormal nociceptive responsesAnti-nociceptive effectsChronic neuropathic painPostoperative pain managementCentral nervous systemIntact DRGsL4 DRGChronic compressionIpsilateral pawNeuropathic painRadicular painHind pawsPain managementIpsilateral hindNociceptive informationNociceptive responsesPain behaviorIntervertebral foramenNociceptive stimuliLocal anesthetics
2017
Molecular basis of tactile specialization in the duck bill
Schneider ER, Anderson EO, Mastrotto M, Matson JD, Schulz VP, Gallagher PG, LaMotte RH, Gracheva EO, Bagriantsev SN. Molecular basis of tactile specialization in the duck bill. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2017, 114: 13036-13041. PMID: 29109250, PMCID: PMC5724259, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1708793114.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsMeSH KeywordsAmino Acid SequenceAnimalsAvian ProteinsBeakChickensCloning, MolecularDucksEmbryo, NonmammalianGene ExpressionGenetic VectorsHEK293 CellsHumansIon ChannelsKineticsMechanoreceptorsMechanotransduction, CellularMicePatch-Clamp TechniquesRecombinant ProteinsRNA, Small InterferingSequence Homology, Amino AcidSpecies SpecificityTouchTouch PerceptionTrigeminal GanglionConceptsMolecular basisHeterologous expression systemSpecialist birdsMouse orthologPiezo2 ion channelsTactile specializationExpression systemDuck billMolecular characterizationIon channelsFeeding behaviorEdible matterPiezo2BirdsElectrophysiological characterizationSlow inactivation kineticsOrthologsVertebratesMechanoMechanotransductionKnockdownInactivation kineticsMurky watersHigh densityNeuronsCl− channel is required for CXCL10-induced neuronal activation and itch response in a murine model of allergic contact dermatitis
Qu L, Fu K, Shimada SG, LaMotte RH. Cl− channel is required for CXCL10-induced neuronal activation and itch response in a murine model of allergic contact dermatitis. Journal Of Neurophysiology 2017, 118: 619-624. PMID: 28446581, PMCID: PMC5511864, DOI: 10.1152/jn.00187.2017.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAllergic contact dermatitisSquaric acid dibutylesterAllergic itchNeuronal activationContact hypersensitivityContact dermatitisMurine modelItch-related scratching behaviorBehavioral effectsDorsal root ganglion neuronsItch-like behaviorsPrimary sensory neuronsWhole-cell recordingsPromising therapeutic targetPersistent itchItch responseIonic mechanismsGanglion neuronsScratching behaviorChannel blockersCXCL10Sensory neuronsTherapeutic targetChannel inhibitorsCell recordings
2016
Allergic Contact Dermatitis: A Model of Inflammatory Itch and Pain in Human and Mouse
LaMotte RH. Allergic Contact Dermatitis: A Model of Inflammatory Itch and Pain in Human and Mouse. Advances In Experimental Medicine And Biology 2016, 904: 23-32. PMID: 26900060, PMCID: PMC4910628, DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-7537-3_2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAllergic contact dermatitisPersistent itchPathogenesis of ACDSquaric acid dibutyl esterPain-like behaviorsSmall-diameter neuronsPeripheral neural mechanismsPossible therapeutic targetInflammatory itchPruritic disordersCutaneous sitesChemokine CXCL10Excitatory responsesLocal inflammationReceptor CXCR3Contact dermatitisUnmyelinated axonsSpontaneous activityTherapeutic targetAnimal modelsPainSubsequent challengeTopical applicationItchMice
2015
Chronic Compression of the Dorsal Root Ganglion Enhances Mechanically Evoked Pain Behavior and the Activity of Cutaneous Nociceptors in Mice
Wang T, Hurwitz O, Shimada SG, Qu L, Fu K, Zhang P, Ma C, LaMotte RH. Chronic Compression of the Dorsal Root Ganglion Enhances Mechanically Evoked Pain Behavior and the Activity of Cutaneous Nociceptors in Mice. PLOS ONE 2015, 10: e0137512. PMID: 26356638, PMCID: PMC4565551, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137512.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsDorsal root gangliaPunctate mechanical stimuliSpontaneous activityChronic compressionCutaneous nociceptorsL3 dorsal root gangliaPost-operative day 2Evoked pain behaviorsPain-like behaviorsVon Frey filamentsDorsum of footUnoperated control miceMechanical stimuliCutaneous C nociceptorsBehavioral hyperalgesiaCCD surgeryIntraforaminal stenosisMechanical allodyniaRadicular painC-nociceptorsDRG neuronsPain behaviorControl miceEnhanced excitabilityControl neuronsCXCR3 chemokine receptor signaling mediates itch in experimental allergic contact dermatitis
Qu L, Fu K, Yang J, Shimada SG, LaMotte RH. CXCR3 chemokine receptor signaling mediates itch in experimental allergic contact dermatitis. Pain 2015, 156: 1737-1746. PMID: 25932692, PMCID: PMC4545682, DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000208.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAllergic contact dermatitisPain-like behaviorsContact hypersensitivityAllergic itchChemokine CXCL10Contact dermatitisCutaneous dorsal root ganglion neuronsPathophysiology of ACDExperimental allergic contact dermatitisDorsal root ganglion neuronsSquaric acid dibutylesterDorsal root gangliaSignificant health burdenUpregulation of CXCL10Chemokine receptor signalingCXCR3 mRNAPersistent itchSpontaneous itchInflammatory painCommon symptomsControl miceReceptor CXCR3Skin inflammationGanglion neuronsRoot gangliaPsychophysical Measurements of Itch and Nociceptive Sensations in an Experimental Model of Allergic Contact Dermatitis
Pall PS, Hurwitz OE, King BA, LaMotte RH. Psychophysical Measurements of Itch and Nociceptive Sensations in an Experimental Model of Allergic Contact Dermatitis. Journal Of Pain 2015, 16: 741-749. PMID: 26002605, PMCID: PMC4522332, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2015.04.009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsSquaric acid dibutyl esterAllergic contact dermatitisSpontaneous itchContact dermatitisNociceptive sensationsT cell-mediated inflammationExperimental modelPeripheral neural activityQuality of lifeInflammatory itchBAM8-22Skin inflammationHypersensitivity reactionsPain sensationAllergen resultsIntradermal injectionCommon conditionHealthy volunteersPotential treatmentItchPsychophysical measurementsInflammationVolar forearmDermatitisNeural activity
2014
Enhanced excitability of MRGPRA3- and MRGPRD-positive nociceptors in a model of inflammatory itch and pain
Qu L, Fan N, Ma C, Wang T, Han L, Fu K, Wang Y, Shimada SG, Dong X, LaMotte RH. Enhanced excitability of MRGPRA3- and MRGPRD-positive nociceptors in a model of inflammatory itch and pain. Brain 2014, 137: 1039-1050. PMID: 24549959, PMCID: PMC3959553, DOI: 10.1093/brain/awu007.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsContact hypersensitivityPruriceptive neuronsEnhanced excitabilityNervous systemNociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuronsSodium currentVehicle-treated control animalsDorsal root ganglion neuronsSquaric acid dibutyl esterItch-like behaviorsPain-related behaviorsResistant sodium currentsAllergic contact dermatitisAction potential activityWhole-cell recordingsInflammatory itchPersistent itchPruritic disordersSpontaneous itchSpontaneous scratchingAcute itchNeuronal hyperexcitabilityNociceptive neuronsPruritic diseasesCommon symptoms
News
News
- August 01, 2011
Knocking out itch with a BAM
- May 18, 2011
Scratching Beneath the Surface: the Cause of Chronic Itch
- January 15, 2002
Instrument shop endures as a place for repairs, a catalyst for creativity
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Anesthesiology
PO Box 208051, 333 Cedar Street, TMP 3
New Haven, CT 06520-8051
United States