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Simultaneous brain and spinal cord functional MRI to investigate maladaptive plasticity within the nociceptive system after spinal cord injury
Applications are invited for a master thesis/internship of at least 3 months up to 1 year in the Neuroimaging group at the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist in Zurich led by Prof. Dr. Patrick Freund. Our Neuroimaging group is a multidisciplinary team with physician, physicists, engineers, and neuro/biologists.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) has widespread and devastating consequences across the entire neuraxis, from the initial lesion up to cortical and subcortical areas in the brain. The development of neuropathic pain is common after SCI and increases the disease burden considerably. However, the exact pathophysiological mechanism of the development of neuropathic pain following SCI are still poorly understood. Applying a cutting-edge fMRI sequence, we want to investigate changes in the functional connectivity within the motor and nociceptive system across the neuraxis occurring in SCI patients with neuropathic pain. Specifically, we aim at characterizing the potential alteration of sensory attenuation of pain in the SCI cohort.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) has widespread and devastating consequences across the entire neuraxis, from the initial lesion up to cortical and subcortical areas in the brain. The development of neuropathic pain is common after SCI and increases the disease burden considerably. However, the exact pathophysiological mechanism of the development of neuropathic pain following SCI are still poorly understood. Applying a cutting-edge fMRI sequence, we want to investigate changes in the functional connectivity within the motor and nociceptive system across the neuraxis occurring in SCI patients with neuropathic pain. Specifically, we aim at characterizing the potential alteration of sensory attenuation of pain in the SCI cohort.
The aim of this project is to apply a novel fMRI sequence in SCI patients in order to assess functional connectivity with regard to sensory attenuation of pain and to compare with healthy controls.
Depending on the length of your master thesis/internship, you will be involved in patient recruitment, performing the fMRI measurement on a state-of-the-art 3T scanner, optimizing pre-processing of MRI data, the statistical analysis, and critical discussion of the findings.
The aim of this project is to apply a novel fMRI sequence in SCI patients in order to assess functional connectivity with regard to sensory attenuation of pain and to compare with healthy controls. Depending on the length of your master thesis/internship, you will be involved in patient recruitment, performing the fMRI measurement on a state-of-the-art 3T scanner, optimizing pre-processing of MRI data, the statistical analysis, and critical discussion of the findings.
Please send your CV and a short motivation to simon.schading@balgrist.ch. If you have any questions regarding this project do not hesitate to contact us.
Please send your CV and a short motivation to simon.schading@balgrist.ch. If you have any questions regarding this project do not hesitate to contact us.