Jin Ro, Ph.D – received a five year, $2.55 million grant from the National Institute of Aging (NIH-NIA) to investigate ‘Age-related decline in endogenous pain modulation and its impact on osteoarthritis pain.’ In this project, Dr Ro and the co-investigators, Drs. Joyce Da Silva (SOD), Shuo Chen (SOM), and David Seminowicz (Western University, Canada) will explore brain circuits that underlie age-related changes in descending pain modulatory function and the mechanistic links between dysfunctional pain modulatory systems and chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain in the aged population. Specifically, they will examine whether enhancing the strength of specific brain circuitries mediating endogenous pain modulation, either experimentally or through exercise, can improve OA pain outcomes in aged populations. Findings of this project will stimulate progress toward the development of novel evidence-based pain treatment strategies for older adults.