Estephan J Moana Filho

Estephan J Moana Filho is an Assistant Professor in the Department of TMD and Orofacial Pain at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on identifying brain mechanisms underlying chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and orofacial pain (OFP), utilizing systems neuroscience approaches such as psychophysics, quantitative sensory testing (QST), and multi-modal neuroimaging.

• Research Interests: Brain mechanisms of chronic pain, endogenous pain modulation, neuroimaging techniques, psychophysical pain assessment, somatosensory system dynamics.
• Grants: NIH-funded projects including R00 DE027414, collaborations with DENTSPLY SIRONA INC., and integrative initiatives like the Minnesota TMD IMPACT Collaborative.
• Collaborations: Works with experts in neuroscience (C. Lenglet, D.A. Bereiter), clinical pain research (J. Boissoneault, D.R. Nixdorf), and interdisciplinary training programs.
• Key Contributions: Published 42 research outputs, including influential meta-analyses on pain modulation and brain connectivity patterns in TMD patients, with a dataset on dentoalveolar pain neuroimaging.