Yenisel Cruz-Almeida

Associate Professor | Associate Director University of Florida

Gainesville FL

Yenisel Cruz-Almeida's research is focused on understanding age-related pain perception and pain management.

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Biography

Yenisel Cruz-Almeida is an associate professor in the College of Dentistry. She also serves as the associate director of the UF Pain Research & Intervention Center of Excellence. Her research interests are related to understanding age-related pain perception and modulation in humans. Yenisel uses multiple interdisciplinary and translational approaches to examine nervous system factors that contribute to the observed inter-individual differences in pain phenotypes and its functional consequences including cognitive and mobility impairments.

Areas of Expertise

Chronic Pain

Translational Pain Research

Pain

Pain related to age

Articles

Advancing our understanding of neuropathic pain in diabetes mellitus using conditioned pain modulation: further considerations for age and testing site

Pain

Alisa J. Johnson and Yenisel Cruz-Almeida

2021-08-08

Neuropathy is common among individuals with diabetes mellitus, and is associated with decreased quality of life, greater comorbidity, and substantial economic burden. However, the mechanisms underlying painful diabetic polyneuropathy has yet to be fully elucidated. While it is recognized that diabetic polyneuropathy places patients at a greater risk for developing neuropathic pain, it is still not clear why some individuals develop pain and others do not.

A psychophysical study comparing massage to conditioned pain modulation: A single blind randomized controlled trial in healthy participants

Journal of bodywork and movement therapies

Abigail T. Wilson, et al.

2021-03-06

Pain-inducing massage results in greater pain inhibition than pain free massage, suggesting a mechanism dependent on conditioned pain modulation (CPM). The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that pain inducing massage produces similar magnitude of reduction in pain sensitivity as a cold pressor task and that baseline conditioned pain modulation efficiency predicts pain inducing massage related hypoalgesia.

Additional considerations for studying brain metabolite levels across pain conditions using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Neuroimage

Yenisel Cruz-Almeida and Eric Porges

2021-01-01

Advances in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allow for the non-invasive examination of neuroinhibitory and neuroexcitatory processes in humans. In particular, these methods have been used to understand changes across chronic pain conditions.