RESEARCH
Studies
Brain imaging in humans
Where in the brain is pain realized? We haven't quite figured that out, but we do know that specific areas of the brain - many areas, in fact - are activated when a person is experiencing pain. One of our goals with human neuroimaging is to determine the role of cognitive and emotional factors on these activations. We are currently investigating the effect of attention states on acute pain and in people with various chronic pain conditions. In the case of chronic pain, we are investigating the effects of different treatments on abnormal brain activity and anatomy. We investigate these problems using task and resting state functional MRI, and structural MRI including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
Brain imaging and behavior in rats
While neuroimaging experiments in humans can tell us about the experience of pain, using imaging in animal models of chronic pain allows us to ask questions about specific aspects of pain and the necessity of precise brain areas. Our previous research demonstrated that the development of anxiety-like behaviors in the rat coincided with the volumetric decreases in prefrontal cortical areas in a model of chronic neuropathic pain. With rat models we also have the ability to perform histological and biochemical experiments on the same animals that have had MRIs. We are currently investigating the roles of the PFC in other pain behaviors and using functional MRI to investigate the connectivity of PFC and other brain areas. This research is partly in collaboration with Dr. Radi Masri, in the department of Endodontics, Prosthodontics and Operative Dentistry.
Structural MRI studies
In addition to functional MRI, we also investigate gray matter density and cortical thickness changes associated with chronic pain. We recently found that people with chronic low back pain who were treated effectively for their pain had an increase in cortical thickness in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which was thinner before treatment than healthy controls.
Where in the brain is pain realized? We haven't quite figured that out, but we do know that specific areas of the brain - many areas, in fact - are activated when a person is experiencing pain. One of our goals with human neuroimaging is to determine the role of cognitive and emotional factors on these activations. We are currently investigating the effect of attention states on acute pain and in people with various chronic pain conditions. In the case of chronic pain, we are investigating the effects of different treatments on abnormal brain activity and anatomy. We investigate these problems using task and resting state functional MRI, and structural MRI including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
Identifying brain targets for pain treatments
