I got involved in research to dive deeper into the areas I find fascinating. With research, I believe I can apply myself to positively impact the lives of others and even future generations to come. I got into research to see how I can further improve the medical care being practiced.

Age-Related Differences in Pain Sensitivity and Regional Brain Activity from Mechanical and Thermal Stimuli

Older people report more chronic pain complaints and show reduced tolerance to experimental pain. Atrophy of brain parenchyma in normal aging is well documented, with grey matter reduction occurring across many regions known to be involved in pain processing. Age-related changes in the spontaneous organization of the brain have been linked to the cognitive, perceptual and motor alterations that frequently accompany aging. It is likely that these brain changes may also be related to the alterations in pain perception described in the older population, but there is very little research examining age-related differences in the brain processing of pain. Thus, the proposed research project will investigate the effects of aging on pain processing by comparing regional brain responses to mechanical pain stimulation in younger adults and older adults.