I am interested in exploring nociception in alcohol use disorder, and more specifically how pain and alcohol consumption can influence each other. My research aims to empirically investigate objective and subjective nociceptive abilities in the context of excessive alcohol consumption, as well as to explore the role of acute pain as a potential factor in consumption.

The aim of my project is to assess how intracerebral Periodic Stimulation (iPS) in insular regions entrains pain-related brain oscillations and modulates pain perception. I will uncover this relationship through intracerebral EEG (iEEG) signals recorded from patients undergoing a presurgical evaluation of intractable epilepsy recruited at Saint-Luc University Clinic (UCLouvain). The value of this project lies in the opportunity to investigate and stimulate deep brain regions, such as the insula, whose involvement in nociception and pain perception is poorly understood due to their location. I hope that my research will pave the way for novel non-invasive neurostimulation therapies for chronic pain through the direct investigation of how such interventions affect pain-related brain oscillations and pain perception.

The goal of my PhD project, supervised by Giulia Liberati and André Mouraux, is to investigate how temporal interference stimulation (TIS) can be used to target deep brain regions involved in pain processing, such as the insula. Compared to other non-invasive brain stimulation methods, TIS can reach deep structures without activating superficial regions thanks to its unique mechanism: it uses two high-frequency electric fields that interfere in a specific brain region, and this interference generates a low-frequency envelope at their difference frequency, which can modulate neural activity. My project combines computational modeling, neuroimaging, and neurophysiological approaches to identify the most effective TIS configuration to target the insula and to explore how modulating oscillatory activity in this region affects pain perception. This work aims to contribute to the development of more precise and effective brain stimulation methods for pain research and therapy.

My doctoral research explores how rhythmic electrical stimulation can modulate pain processing by targeting communication between the brain and spinal cord. Using high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and transcutaneous spinal stimulation (tsACS), I aim to investigate how synchronized oscillations influence the way nociceptive signals are processed and perceived. Through a combination of EEG recordings, spinal evoked potentials, and behavioral pain assessments, the project seeks to uncover the neurophysiological mechanisms that support top-down and bottom-up pain modulation. Ultimately, this work aims to develop a noninvasive, personalized approach to restore healthy brain-spinal communication and reduce pain sensitivity - contributing to the long-term goal of creating safer, mechanism-based treatments for chronic pain.

The aim of my research project is to study the mechanisms by which psychological factors can modify spinal activity induced by nociceptive stimuli. It is indeed acknowledged that dysregulation of the pain descending modulatory system as well as sensitization of spinal excitability could be involved in the development of chronic pain. More particularly the objective of my project is to study the impact of hypnotic analgesia on somatosensory-induced spinal activity. Two hypnotic suggestion techniques will be used, a first one aiming to suggest a global analgesia of the body, a second one having the capacity to focus analgesia on a restricted part of the body. Neurophysiological makers of the spinal activity will be the N13 component of the somatosensory evoked potentials, indexing ascending transmission of somatosensory inputs, and the RIII component of the nociceptive withdrawal reflexes, indexing local circuitry and motor response of the spinal activity.

The somatosensory system is responsible for perceiving and analysing inputs such as pain, temperature, and tactile information, among others, and is therefore crucial to the normal functioning of our bodies. To date, different somatosensory modalities have mostly been investigated in isolation. However, in everyday life, we deal with a continuous stream of multimodal sensory information. In this context, studying cross-modal interactions within the somatosensory system is of great scientific interest. My PhD aims to characterise the integration of somatosensory modalities by the central nervous system and the resulting unified perceptions, with a particular focus on grip and haptic exploration. The knowledge gained from this project can then be useful for designing tactile displays and virtual reality setups.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by diffuse pain and often associated with sleep, mood and cognitive disorders. Patients’ difficulties in managing cognitive effort and distractibility during daily cognitive activities are recognized as cognitive markers of fibromyalgia. These difficulties could be explained either by the fact that their physical symptoms capture their cognitive resources, or by cognitive biases that motivate them to give priority attention to their bodily sensations to the detriment of other information from their environment. However, no study has yet managed to clearly define the cognitive dysfunctions underlying their difficulties. One of the issues raised is that these previous studies have used tools that are poorly suited to assess cognitive function of chronic pain people and with stimuli that are not very relevant to them, such as neutral visual stimuli. The objective of the project is to test in patients with fibromyalgia their abilities to perceive their body and its peripersonal space, as well as their abilities to pay attention and to memorize somatosensory stimuli directly applied to their body (particularly during conflict with non-somatic stimuli).

I pursued studies in biomedical sciences, culminating in a master's degree in neuroscience. Complementing this, I delved into a psychology bachelor, driven by an enduring curiosity to unravel the intricacies of the human brain. My thesis project is dedicated to investigating the neural foundations of thermoception and social cognition, with a specific emphasis on exploring their interconnections and understanding how alterations manifest in the context of frontotemporal dementia. My ultimate goal is to contribute a deeper understanding of these processes, shedding light on the intricate neural dynamics underlying cognitive changes in frontotemporal dementia.

The main goal of my PhD is to investigate the risk factors of chronicity in the chronic regional pain syndrom (CRPS) and in the futur, be able to have an impact on its secondary prevention. We already know some risk factors of onset of CRPS but what's about the chronicity? Through an observational longitudinal study at CUSL, we would like to study some risks factors and then, as in the low back pain, be able to determine which patients are at higher risk of chronicity and which therapeutic interventions to suggest.

Localizing pain is an important function as it allows detecting which part of the body is being hurt. It also helps to identify in the space around the body which stimulus is producing the damage. Behavioral studies suggest that the brain has the ability to map nociceptive stimuli according to different spatial representations. The somatotopic representation constitutes an anatomical map of the body surface based on point-by-point correspondences of particular areas of the body to specific groups of neurons in the brain. The spatiotopic representation considers the relative position and movement of the body part on which the stimulus is applied, and, therefore, uses external space as reference frame. The aim of the present research project is to characterize in humans the time course of the neural processes underlying the spatial mapping of nociceptive inputs using electroencephalography. In order to test the influence of early sensory experience in the development of spatial mapping abilities, data of normally sighted participants will be contrasted with those of congenitally blind people.

Hypnosis is used to treat a wide variety of diseases and symptoms. It is used, for example, as an anesthetic technique to relieve pain. However, the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying hypnotic analgesia are still poorly understood. My project aims to show, using psychophysics and neurophysiology, that hypnotic analgesia relies on the cognitive ability to control the flow of sensory information in the brain, by selectively modifying the responses to pain stimuli applied on the part of the body on which the hypnosis is focused, which could in turn prevent pain from sensitizing the central nervous system (a mechanism by which the brain amplifies its responses to sensory stimuli, and supposed to be involved in chronic pain).

Physical exercise is increasingly recognized as an effective treatment to reduce pain and improve function in a variety of pain conditions. Studies in humans and non-human animals have shown that a single session of physical exercise can reduce pain perception to experimental stimuli. The mechanisms underlying this exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) remain elusive. Central and peripheral processes have been proposed, but their relative contributions remain unknown. Among others, the sympatho-adrenergic system could be involved in another well-known phenomenon, stress-induced analgesia (SIA). This project aims (1) to shed light on the processes underlying EIH in humans, (2) to explore whether EIH and SIA may share some similar processes, and (3) to test the possible involvement of peripheral α2-adrenergic receptors (α2-AR) in EIH and SIA, and kynurenic acid (KynA, a circulating myokine that transiently increases following exercise) in EIH. First, we will characterize the effects of a single session of aerobic exercise on the sensitivity to stimuli activating skin versus muscle nociceptors, within or outside exercising body parts. We will also evaluate whether exercise modulates secondary hyperalgesia due to central sensitization. Then, we will test whether α2-AR activation contributes to EIH and/or SIA by evaluating the effects of an α2-AR antagonist (single oral dose of yohimbine) compared to placebo. Finally, we will evaluate the contribution of KynA to EIH by relating, across participants and over time, the post-exercise reduction in experimentally induced pain with the post-exercise plasmatic increase of KynA. 

The objective of my PhD is to evaluate whether pre-operative composition of the intestinal microbiota and/or post-operative changes in microbiota composition influence the intensity of acute PSP and the risk to develop persistent PSP in patients undergoing non-abdominal surgery. Specifically, we hypothesize that composition of the intestinal microbiota could be an important factor influencing the susceptibility to develop peripheral and/or central sensitization and, hence, that pre-operative composition of the intestinal microbiota and/or post-operative changes in its composition could be an important determinant of the severity of acute PSP and the risk to develop persistent PSP.

Within the H2020 QSPainRelief project, I will conduct a clinical study in patients suffering from disabling post-operative to assess the different effects of combinatorial treatments on the central nervous system using EEG and other non-invasive electrophysiological techniques and relate these effects to real-life clinical efficacy and safety. The data generated by this clinical study will be used to calibrate a model to predict response to combinatorial treatments for pain.

Anaesthesiologist
Dept. of Anaesthesiology - Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc
PhD student - Supervisor: André Mouraux
FRC
Promoter : Prof. A. Mouraux

Control of acute as well as prevention of chronic postoperative pain remains a challenge. In human volunteers, both transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) alter pain perception and its modulation. tDCS may also reduce opioid consumption and pain scores after surgery. As tDCS and tsDCS affect pain processing at different levels, their combined application could produce additive or synergistic effects. The objective of my PhD is to characterize the effects of combined tDCS and tsDCS on acute pain perception and processing (temporal summation, conditioned pain modulation, experimentally induced central sensitization) in healthy volunteers.