Kayleigh Kanakis
I am a first-year PhD student working with the Riddell (Spinal Cord Group) and Craig labs. My research focuses on nociresponsive Brodmann Area 3a (nBA3a), a small region of the cerebral cortex located deep within a fold (sulcus) of the brain. It lies at the border between regions involved in sensing touch and controlling movement. This study aims to investigate its potential role as a 'gateway' to broader pain networks. Specifically, I’m examining its involvement in nociception and its contribution to pain chronification, with the aim of identifying nBA3a as a potential target for non-invasive neuromodulation therapies for chronic pain. With a background in neuroscience and as a patient with chronic headaches, I hope that my contributions to the field will pave the way for more effective treatments for chronic pain conditions.
Nociception, the neural process of encoding potentially harmful stimuli, serves as the body's early warning system against threats. However, when this protective mechanism becomes dysregulated, it can lead to central sensitisation—a state of heightened responsiveness in the central nervous system. This maladaptive process is thought to ultimately result in the chronification of pain, where acute pain evolves into a persistent condition that significantly impacts quality of life.
Previous research has indicated that nBA3a is involved in processing nociceptive information and may play a crucial role in the integration of sensory and motor responses to painful stimuli. However, its precise function in pain processing and its potential involvement in chronic pain conditions remain largely unexplored.
This work will first aim to define the properties of nBA3a by mapping the connectivity and activation patterns of this region in response to various nociceptive stimuli to determine its role in nociception. Second, depending on the results from part one, we will be investigating the role of this brain region in the transition from acute to chronic pain to uncover potential biomarkers or mechanisms involved in pain chronification.