Research
My research focusses on using neuroscience techniques to study changes in the human central nervous system (CNS) produced by pain. Pain is a uniquely human experience, which can be elicited by actual or potential damage to the body. By using a variety of different techniques e.g. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy we aim to track changes occurring as a result of acute and chronic pain.
The pain we feel following acute injury acts as a potent reminder to avoid repeating what we did that led to the original damage. As such, pain is a powerful learning signal. Certain brain areas are thought to track signals from the body that indicate where the injury occurred, whereas other regions use this information to learn from the experience, to try to minimise future hurt. However, in chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, where widespread pain is commonly experienced, it is clear that pain is not serving a useful purpose. One possibility is that persistent changes in the CNS produce amplification of signals from the body, which may lead to pain. Our research aims to understand how the "rules" around how much pain we feel can be learned, and unlearned, and if it is possible to visualise where in the CNS these signals are amplified and interpreted - and possibly lead to chronic pain.
Research collaborations
Dr Jonathon Brookes
The University of Oxford
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain
The University of Oxford