Exploring the Brain in Pain

Overview

This online on-demand course will explore individual differences in cortical activity i) before pain begins and ii) soon after pain onset that predispose individuals to chronic pain.

Data from human pain models and clinical pain populations will be provided. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of novel therapeutic approaches that can target cortical activity to interfere with the transition to chronic pain.

Join the Neuroscience Division of the CPA and Dr. Schabrun for this online course 'Exploring the Brain in Pain.'

Who is this webinar for?

This course is for researchers and clinicians who are interested in understanding:

• Brain-based risk factors that cause some individuals to develop chronic pain while others experience rapid recovery, and
• Emerging treatment options such as non-invasive brain stimulation for pain.

Learning objectives

In this online course, participants will:

1. Gain an understanding of transcranial magnetic stimulation as a tool to assess and induce cortical plasticity
2. Understand the role of the brain in the transition to chronic pain
3. Explore current research on pain, plasticity, and new targets for treatment

Presenter Bio: Dr. Schabrun

Professor Schabrun is The William and Lynne Gray Endowed Research Chair in Mobility and Activity at The Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity at Parkwood Institute and a Professor in the School of Physical Therapy at Western. Her research interests include the discovery of cortical biomarkers that can predict who will develop chronic pain – even before pain begins, investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms that underpin the transition from acute to chronic pain and the development and testing of non-invasive brain stimulation treatments for pain.