Samar Issa Khoury PhD
Research Associate,
Human Pain Genetics Lab
Dr Khoury completed her PhD in neurosciences at Université de Montréal where she studied sleep and pain interactions in mild traumatic brain injury patients under the supervisions of Drs Gilles Lavigne and Guy Rouleau. For the past five years, she was a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr Luda Diatchenko, she specialized in cohort studies, big data and statistical genetics. Her research is focused on functional genomics of painful conditions such as temporomandibular disorders and fibromyalgia and related comorbidities including sleep and psychological factors.
Area of expertise:
- Genetics (statistical genetics, functional genomics, big data)
- Pain (orofacial pain, chronic overlapping pain conditions, post-TBI pain)
- Sleep (genetics, sleep-pain interactions, sleep bruxism)
Selected publications:
Benavides R, Vsevolozhskaya O, Cattaneo S, Zaykin D, Brenton A, Parisien M, Verma V, Khoury S, Gilron I, Diatchenko L. A functional polymorphism in the ABCB1 transporter predicts pharmacologic response to combination of nortriptyline and morphine in neuropathic pain patients. PAIN Accepted.
Khoury S, Piltonen MH, Ton AT, Cole T, Samoshkin A, Smith SB, Belfer I, Slade GD, Fillingim RB, Greenspan JD, Ohrbach R, Maixner W, Neely GG, Serohijos AWR, Diatchenko L. A functional substitution in the L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase enzyme worsens somatic symptoms via a serotonergic pathway. Ann Neurol 2019 Aug; 86(2):168-180.
Slade GD, Rosen JD, Ohrbach R, Greenspan JD, Fillingim RB, Parisien M, Khoury S, Diatchenko L, Maixner W, Bair E. Anatomical selectivity in overlap of chronic facial and bodily pain. Pain Reports 2019; 4(3):e729.
Smith SB, Parisien M, Bair E, Belfer I, Chabot-Doré AJ, Gris P, Khoury S, Tansley S, Torosyan Y, Zaykin DV, Bernhardt O, de Oliveira-Serrano P, Gracely RH, Jain D, Järvelin MR, Kerr KF, Kocher T, Lähdesmäki R, Laurie CC, Männikkö M, Meloto CB, Nackley AG, Pesonen P, Ribeiro-Dasilva M, Rizzatti-Barbosa CM, Sanders AE, Schwan C, Sipilä K, Sofer T, Teumer A, Sunyaev S, Mogil JS, Fillingim RB, Greenspan JD, Ohrbach R, Slade GD, Maixner W, Diatchenko L. Genome-wide association reveals contribution of MRAS to painful temporomandibular disorder in males. PAIN 2019 Mar; 160(3):579-591.
Khoury S, Benavides R. Pain with Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Disorders. Prog Neuropsychopharmaco & Biol Psych 2018 Dec 20; 87(Pt B):224-233.
Meloto CB, Benavides R, Lichtenwalter R, Wen X, Tugarinov N, Zorina-Lichtenwalter K, Chabot-Doré AJ, Piltonen MH, Cattaneo S, Verma V, Klares III R, Khoury S, Parisien M, Diatchenko L. The Human Pain Genetics Database (HPGDB): a resource dedicated to human pain genetics research. PAIN 2018 Apr; 159(4):749-763.
Suzuki Y, Arbour C, Khoury S, Lavigne G. Response to the letter from Professor Helena Hachul and colleagues. Sleep Medicine 2017; 37:219-220.
Khoury S, Segal J, Parisien M, Noreau A, Dion P, Giguère JF, Denis R, Belfer I, Diatchenko L, Rouleau GA, Lavigne GJ. Post-concussion symptoms and chronic pain after mild traumatic brain injury are modulated by multiple locus effect in the BDNF gene through the expression antisense: A prospective pilot control study. Can J of Pain 2017; 1(1):112-126.
Suzuki Y, Arbour C, Khoury S, Giguère J-F, Denis R, De Beaumont L, Lavigne GJ. Does sleep bruxism contribute to headache-related disability after mild traumatic brain injury? A case-control study. J Oral Facial Pain Headache 2017; 31(4):306-312.
Parisien M, Khoury S, Chabot-Doré AJ, Sotonical S, Slade GD, Smith SB, Fillingim RB, Ohrbach R, Greenspan JD, Maixner W, Mogil J, Belfer I, Diatchenko L. Effect of human genetic variability on gene transcription in dorsal root ganglia and association with pain phenotypes. Cell Reports 2017 May 30; 19(9):1940-1952.
Suzuki Y, Khoury S, El-Khatib H, Chauny J-M, Paquet J, Giguère JF, Denis R, Gosselin N, Lavigne GJ, Arbour C. Individuals with pain need more sleep in the early stage of mild traumatic brain injury. Sleep Medicine 2017; 33:36-42.
Khoury S, Carra MC, Huynh N, Montplaisir J, Lavigne GJ. Sleep Bruxism-Tooth Grinding Prevalence, Characteristics and Familial Aggregation: A Large Cross-Sectional Survey and Polysomnographic Validation. Sleep 2016 Nov 1; 39(11):2049-2056.
Zorina-Lichtenwalter K, Meloto CB, Khoury S, Diatchenko L. Genetic predictors of human chronic pain conditions. Neuroscience 2016; 338:36-62.
Arbour C, Khoury S, Lavigne GJ, Gagnon K, Poirier G, Montplaisir JY, Carrier J, Gosselin N. Are sleep complaints after mild traumatic brain injury associated to abnormal NREM sleep oscillations? Sleep Medicine 2015; 16(4): 534-539.
Lavigne GJ, Khoury S, Chauny JM, Desautels A. Sleep and pain in mild traumatic brain injury. PAIN 2015; 156(Suppl 1):S75-S85.
Duclos C, Dumont M, Wiseman-Hakes C, Arbour C, Mongrain V, Gaudreault PO, Khoury S, Lavigne G, Desautels A, Gosselin N. Sleep and wake disturbances following traumatic brain injury. Pathol Biol (Paris) 2014 Oct; 62(5):252-261.
Chouchou F, Khoury S, Chauny JM, Denis R, Lavigne GJ. Postoperative sleep disruptions: A potential catalyst of acute pain? Sleep Med Rev. 2014 Jun; 18(3):273-282.
Khoury S, Chouchou F, Amzica F, Giguère JF, Denis R, Rouleau GA, Lavigne GJ. Rapid EEG activity during sleep dominates in mild traumatic brain injury patients with acute pain. J Neurotrauma 2013 Apr; 30(8):633-641.
Khoury S, Gosselin N, Chouchou F, Giguère JF, Lavigne GJ. Perturbation du sommeil par la douleur chez les traumatisés crâniens légers. Med Sc. Am. 2013 Feb; 2(1):39-50.
Lavigne G, Blanchet P, Khoury S, Carra MC, Rouleau G, Denis R. Céphalées et sommeil : un survol diagnostic et un guide pour le clinicien. Douleur analg. 2010 Sep; 23(3):175-180.
Khoury S, Rouleau GA, Rompré PH, Mayer P, Montplaisir JY, Lavigne GJ. A significant increase in breathing amplitude precedes sleep bruxism. Chest 2008 Aug; 134(2):332-337.
Lavigne GJ, Khoury S, Abe S, Yamaguchi T, Raphael K. Bruxism physiology and pathology: an overview for clinicians. J Oral Rehabil. 2008 Jul; 35(7):476-494.
Lavigne GJ, Morisson F, Khoury S, Mayer P. Sleep-related pain complaints: morning headaches and tooth grinding. INSOM 2006; 7:4-11.
Book Chapters
Kazuyoshi Baba, Yuka Abe, Samar Khoury, Frank Lobbezoo. Genetic and Environmental Factors in Sleep Bruxism. In G. Lavigne, P. Cistulli, M. Smith (Eds.), Sleep Medicine and Dentistry. Quintessence Publishing (In press)
Gilles J. Lavigne, Samar Khoury, Caroline Arbour, Nadia Gosselin. Sleep and pain: Interactions and syndromes. In S. Chokroverty & L. Ferini-Strambi (Eds.), Oxford Textbook of Sleep Disorders. Oxford University Press 2017.
Gilles J. Lavigne, Samar Khoury, Danièle Laverdure-Dupont, Ronald Denis, Guy A. Rouleau. Tools and Methodological Issues in the Investigation of Sleep and Pain Interactions. In G. Lavigne, B. Sessle, M. Choinière & P. Soja (Eds.), Sleep and pain. Seattle: IASP Press 2007.