Daniel Taub, Ph.D.

Research:

The Taub Lab is broadly interested in two interconnected themes. The first is to use new neurophotonic technologies to uncover the central neural circuits underlying somatosensation and pain. A large network of neural structures is responsible for the processing of pain. However, which structures process distinct features of the pain experience are unknown. We particularly focus on the role of cortical circuits and how they process sensation and integrate it with emotions and memory. The second theme is to examine how these circuits change in pain-related diseases and whether they can be harnessed for therapeutics. In particular, the lab has a standing interest in inherited peripheral neuropathies and understanding how genetic mutations drive neuropathy, and as a result, how the neural circuits change and adapt to this disease.

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Selected Publications:

Taub DG, Jiang Q, Pietrafesa F, Su J, Carroll A, Greene C, Blanchard MR, Jain A, El-Rifai M, Callen A, Yager K, Chung C, He Z, Chen C, Woolf CJ. 2023. The Secondary Somatosensory Cortex Gates Mechanical and Thermal Sensitivity. Nature Communications https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.19.541449

Taub DG^ and Woolf CJ. 2024. Age-dependent small fiber neuropathy: mechanistic insights from animal models. Exp Neurol. Jul;377:114811. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2024.114811
^first and corresponding author

Shim, J.*, Tanaka, B.*, Taub, D. G.*, Mis, M. A., Schulman, B. R., Snavely, A., … & Woolf, C. J. (2025). Correction of sodium channel mutations in sensory neurons reverses aberrant properties. Brain, awaf155.
*equal contribution.