Final Newsletter 2024 (5) - Flipbook - Page 9
Kayleigh Kanakis
Recipient of the John & Eynd Miles Studentship
Hello, my name is Kayleigh, and I have recently started my PhD
titled "Defining nociresponsive BA3a as a target to treat 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.
My research will focus on a brain area called nociresponsive BA3a, a small region of the
cerebral cortex that lies deep in a fold (sulcus) of the brain at the border between the brain
regions that are involved in sensing touch and in controlling movement. Previous research
has indicated that this region 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 nociresponsive BA3a 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.
This comprehensive approach has the potential to outline nociceptive BA3a as a target for
the treatment of chronic pain. If our hypotheses are confirmed, it could open up new
avenues for therapeutic interventions, such as targeted neuromodulation techniques that
specifically target BA3a function.
Ultimately, this research not only contributes to our fundamental understanding of pain
processing in the brain, but also holds promise for developing more effective, personalised
treatments for chronic pain sufferers. I am deeply committed to advancing this field and
hopefully improving the lives of patients afflicted with chronic pain.
