Bennett, Gary J. PhD
gary.bennett [at] mcgill.ca
Anesthesia and Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University
3655 Prom. Sir William Osler
Montreal
Quebec
(514) 398-3432
(514) 398-8241
Research Interests
The focus of my laboratory’s work is on the pathogenesis of painful peripheral neuropathies and the development of new analgesics for the control of neuropathic pain. We use behavioural, anatomical (immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy), and electrophysiological (single nerve fiber recordings) methods to study nerve injury-evoked changes in the pain system. Our emphasis for the past few years has been on the dose-limiting painful peripheral neuropathies produced by chemotherapeutic drugs (e.g., paclitaxel, vincristine, and oxaliplatin). Our data has led to the hypothesis that the fundamental cause of these conditions is a drug effect on mitochondria in primary afferent neurons. To test this idea we have developed functional assays (respiration, ATP production, and membrane permeability transition) for peripheral nerves.
Selected Publications
Bennett, GJ. What is spontaneous pain and who has it? . J Pain . 2012 13: 921-929
Bennett GJ. Reply to Drs. Loeser and Mogil. J Pain . 2012 13: 1008-1010
Zheng, H, Xiao WH, Bennett GJ. Mitotoxicity and bortezomib-induced chronic painful peripheral neuropathy. Exptl Neurol . 2012 238: 225-234
Ragavendran JV, Laferrière A, Xiao WH, Bennett GJ, Padi SSV, Zhang J, Coderre TJ. Topical combinations aimed at treating microvascular dysfunction reduce allodynia in rat models of CRPS-I and neuropathic pain. J Pain . 2012 doi 10.1016/j.pain2012.10.004
Xiao WH, Bennett GJ. Effects of mitochondrial poisons on the chronic painful peripheral neuropathies produced in the rat by the chemotherapeutic agents, paclitaxel an oxaliplatin. Pain . 2012 153: 704-709
Xiao WH, Zheng H, Bennett GJ. Oxaliplatin-evoked painful peripheral neuropathy: Evidence for a mitotoxic effect in primary afferent neurons. Neuroscience . 2012 203: 194-206
Oaklander AL, Wilson PR, Moskovitz PA, Manning DC, Lubenow T, Levine JD, Norman Harden R, Galer BS, Cooper MS, Bruehl S, Broatch J, Berde C, Bennett GJ. Response to "A new definition of neuropathic pain". Pain . 2012 153: 934-935. [Letter to the Editor]
Burlina AP, Sims K, Politei JM, Baron R, Bennett GJ, Fellgiebel A, Møller AT, Sommer C, Hilz MJ.. Early diagnosis of peripheral nervous system involvement in Fabry disease and treatment of neuropathic pain: the report of an expert panel.. BMC Neurology. 2011 11: 61
Zheng FY, Xiao WH, Bennett GJ. . The response of spinal microglia to chemotherapy-evoked painful peripheral neuropathies is distinct from that evoked by traumatic nerve injuries. . Neuroscience, . 2011; 176: 447-454.
Bennett, GJ, Liu GK, Xiao WH, Jin HW, Siau C. . Terminal arbor degeneration (TAD): a novel lesion produced by the chemotherapeutic agent, paclitaxel. . Eur J Neurosci, . 2011, 33: 1667-1676.
Zheng H, Xiao WH, Bennett GJ. ,. Functional deficits in peripheral nerve mitochondria in rats with paclitaxel- and oxaliplatin-evoked painful peripheral neuropathy. . Exptl Neurol. 2011 in press
Xiao WH, Zheng FY, Bennett GJ, Bordet T, Pruss RM. Olesoxime (cholest-4-en-3-one, oxime): analgesic and neuroprotective effects in a rat model of painful peripheral neuropathy produced by the chemotherapeutic agent, paclitaxel. Pain. 2009 Dec 15;147(1-3):202-9. Epub 2009 Oct 14.
Xiao WH, Bennett GJ. Chemotherapy-evoked neuropathic pain: Abnormal spontaneous discharge in A-fiber and C-fiber primary afferent neurons and its suppression by acetyl-L-carnitine. Pain. 2008 Apr;135(3):262-70. Epub 2007 Jul 30.
Xiao WH, Bennett GJ. Low-frequency spontaneous discharge in primary afferent neurons innervating an inflamed muscle and its suppression by long-term nanogram plasma levels of lidocaine. Pain. 2008 135:262-70
Jin HW, Flatters SJ, Xiao WH, Mulhern HL, Bennett GJ. Prevention of paclitaxel-evoked painful peripheral neuropathy by acetyl-L-carnitine: effects on axonal mitochondria, sensory nerve fiber terminal arbors, and cutaneous Langerhans cells. Exp Neurol. 2008 Mar;210(1):229-37. Epub 2007 Nov 17.
Xiao W, Naso L, Bennett GJ. Experimental studies of potential analgesics for the treatment of chemotherapy-evoked painful peripheral neuropathies. Pain Med. 2008 Jul-Aug;9(5):505-17.
Xiao WH, Bennett GJ. Chronic inflammatory pain and persistent spontaneous discharge in A-fibers and C-fibers. Anesthesiol. 2007 107: 813-21
Xiao W, Boroujerdi A, Bennett GJ, Luo ZD. Chemotherapy-evoked painful peripheral neuropathy: analgesic effects of gabapentin and effects on expression of the alpha-2-delta type-1 calcium channel subunit. Neuroscience. 2007 Jan 19;144(2):714-20. Epub 2006 Nov 2.
Siau C, Xiao W, Bennett GJ. Paclitaxel- and vincristine-evoked painful peripheral neuropathies: loss of epidermal innervation and activation of Langerhans cells. Exp Neurol. 2006 Oct;201(2):507-14. Epub 2006 Jun 22.
Flatters SJ, Xiao WH, Bennett GJ. Acetyl-L-carnitine prevents and reduces paclitaxel-induced painful peripheral neuropathy. Neurosci Lett. 2006 Apr 24;397(3):219-23. Epub 2006 Jan 6.
Siau C, Bennett GJ. Dysregulation of neuronal calcium homeostasis in chemotherapy-evoked painful peripheral neuropathy. Anesth Analg. 2006 102:1485-90
Flatters SJ, Bennett GJ. Studies of peripheral sensory nerves in paclitaxel-induced painful peripheral neuropathy: evidence for mitochondrial dysfunction. Pain. 2006 Jun;122(3):245-57. Epub 2006 Mar 13.