North Texas Dentistry Volume 8 Issue 2 2018 ISSUE 2 DE | Page 11

(continued from page 5) female animal models and learned that not
only are female animal models more sensitive to varicella zoster
pain, sensitivity increases at times when estrogen is low, includ-
ing aged models. This mirrors the pattern in postmenopausal
women 55 and older.
Kinchington, who has been studying varicella zoster for more
than 30 years, likens the ensuing pain cycle associated with shin-
gles to a hit-and-run.
“The virus comes along and causes shingles; it does some dam-
age, and that damage causes pain,” says Kinchington, professor
in ophthalmology and in molecular microbiology and genetics
at the University of Pittsburgh. “These models Dr. Kramer and I
are working with may allow us to figure out wh