Asaf Keller, PhD
Titles
Donald E. Wilson Distinguished Professor
Chairman, Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
School Affiliation
School of Medicine
Specialties
Chronic pain
Addiction
Early Exposure to Drugs
About
Phone: 443-220-1238
Email: akeller@som.umaryland.edu
Dr. Keller is a leading scientist in the fields of addiction, chronic pain, and affective disorders. His lab, which receives funding from the National Institutes of Health with multiple grants, focuses on how brain circuits responsible for sensory perception are affected by drug exposure and pain conditions. His team described changes in brain circuits that lead to chronic pain, as well as brain circuits that can modulate the perception of pain. Dr. Keller's team is working on harnessing this knowledge to relieve chronic pain conditions. They also demonstrated that exposure to drugs, such as marijuana or opioids, in the womb or in adolescence—both critical periods for brain development—can lead to lasting, irreversible changes in brain function and behavior. The work focuses on learning how to prevent these devastating, lasting neurological and psychiatric deficits. Dr. Keller's research has been and continues to be funded by the National Instituted of Health.
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Tagged: Research and Innovation