The overall focus of my research is to compare calcium-dependent exocytotic release at the axon terminals of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) to release at the soma, with the ultimate goal of determining whether release is differentially regulated in the soma in both non-pathological and pathological (chronic pain) states. My approach is to visualize real-time secretion of immunologically active peptides at sites of release in single cells while simultaneously obtaining amperometry measures that electrically resolve secretion. Subsequently, a detailed characterization of the channels fluxing calcium at both release sites in pathological and non-pathological conditions is proposed to provide insight into whether a change in the regulation of calcium flux contributes to the induction of sensitization that is consistently reported in chronic pain conditions.