Preprints

Machine learning behavioral analysis reveals cervical instability as an early biomarker of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Barkai O, Zeng X, Heo K, Gupta RK, MacKinnon-Booth N, Bentley E, Shea E, Woolf CJ. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025.

Colitis-induced visceral pain recruits central neurotensin neurons that modulate colonic sensitivity.

Cheng YT, MacKinnon-Booth N, Jiao Y, Robbins JR, Duarte-Silva M, Mitchell PE, Liu Y, Barkai O, Heo K, Zhang B, Turnes BL, Rao M, Woolf CJ. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026.

Lipid nanoparticle delivery of siRNA to dorsal root ganglion neurons to treat pain.

Han X, Petrova V, Song Y, Cheng YT, Jiang X, Zhou H, Hu C, Chen DS, Yong HJ, Kim HW, Zhang B, Barkai O, Jain A, Renthal W, Lirk P, Woolf CJ, Shi J. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025.

Injured SSTR2+ nociceptor axons in neuromas drive chronic spontaneous neuropathic pain.

Zeng X, Martinez-Garcia RI, Bhuiyan SA, Heo K, MacKinnon-Booth N, Bentley E, Shea E, Wu K, Barkai O, Turnes BL, Jayakar SS, Gomez-Eslava B, Hameed MQ, Santiago C, Lezgiyeva K, Osei-Asante E, Furfaro I, Rotenberg A, Johnston BR, Wainger BJ, Renthal W, Lacour SP, Ginty DD, Woolf CJ. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025.

2026

Functional coupling between peripheral nociceptor terminals in vivo is enhanced during acute inflammation.

Gershon D, Barkai O, Engelmayer N, Katz B, Lev S, Binshtok AM. Pain. 2026

 

2025

Harnessing vaginal inflammation and microbiome: a machine learning model for predicting IVF success.

Bar O*, Vagios S*, Barkai O*, Elshirbini J, Souter I, Xu J, James K, Bormann C, Mitsunami M, Chavarro JE, Foessleitner P, Kwon DS, Yassour M, Mitchell C. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2025

* equal contribution

A machine learning tool with light-based image analysis for automatic classification of 3D pain behaviors.

Barkai O, Zhang B, Turnes BL, Arab M, Yarmolinsky DA, Zhang Z, Barrett LB, Woolf CJ. Cell Rep Methods. 2025

 

2023

Encoding of inflammatory hyperalgesia in mouse spinal cord.

Barkai O, Rayi PR, Butterman R, Katz B, Lev S, Binshtok AM. Pain. 2023

2022

mTORC2 mediates structural plasticity in distal nociceptive endings that contributes to pain hypersensitivity following inflammation.

Wong C, Barkai O, Wang F, Thörn Perez C, Lev S, Cai W, Tansley S, Yousefpour N, Hooshmandi M, Lister KC, Latif M, Cuello AC, Prager-Khoutorsky M, Mogil JS, Séguéla P, De Koninck Y, Ribeiro-da-Silva A, Binshtok AM, Khoutorsky A. J Clin Invest. 2022

2020

The Input-Output Relation of Primary Nociceptive Neurons is Determined by the Morphology of the Peripheral Nociceptive Terminals.

Barkai O, Butterman R, Katz B, Lev S, Binshtok AM. J Neurosci. 2020

2019

Location and Plasticity of the Sodium Spike Initiation Zone in Nociceptive Terminals In Vivo.

Goldstein RH, Barkai O, Íñigo-Portugués A, Katz B, Lev S, Binshtok AM. Neuron. 2019

Platelet-derived growth factor activates nociceptive neurons by inhibiting M-current and contributes to inflammatory pain.

Barkai O, Puig S, Lev S, Title B, Katz B, Eli-Berchoer L, Gutstein HB, Binshtok AM. Pain. 2019

2017

The Role of Kv7/M Potassium Channels in Controlling Ectopic Firing in Nociceptors.

Barkai O, Goldstein RH, Caspi Y, Katz B, Lev S, Binshtok AM. Front Mol Neurosci. 2017

KV7/M channels as targets for lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory neuronal hyperexcitability.

Tzour A, Leibovich H, Barkai O, Biala Y, Lev S, Yaari Y, Binshtok AM. J Physiol. 2017

2015

The role of slow and persistent TTX-resistant sodium currents in acute tumor necrosis factor-α-mediated increase in nociceptors excitability.

Gudes S, Barkai O, Caspi Y, Katz B, Lev S, Binshtok AM. J Neurophysiol. 2015