People

Khetam Alfaraj

Graduate Laboratory Assistant
Department of Psychology
Postgraduate Research Student
Department of Psychology
 Khetam Alfaraj

Profile

Ask me about
  • Systematic review
  • Meta-analysis

Biography

My research aims to identify objective pain neurological markers in chronic pain population during sensory stimulation (e.g., thermal, mechanical or electrical). I am interested in all neuroimaging techniques, and I have experience using tDCS for my M.A. Final Year Project, and EEG. For this work I will be conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis on FMRI studies. I am also interested in finding the pain-specific activations in the chronic pain patients, and addressing the reliability and validity of pain biomarkers during the experience of pain with pain neuroimaging.

Qualifications

  • M.A. Cognitive Neuroscience Swansea University (2020)

  • B.S. Psychology Swansea University (2019)

Research and professional activities

Research interests

A systematic review and meta-analysis of fMRI BOLD signal in chronic pain patients during ongoing and provoked pain.

Currently, I am specifically interested in investigating BOLD signal link to pain (e.g., ongoing clinical or experimental pain) versus no-pain (e.g., rest or innocuous) in chronic pain patients compared to healthy controls. Additionally, I am interested in analysing the relationship between pain ratings and the concomitant BOLD signal. This will allow us to test whether the structures identified by the meta-analysis can predict the presence (and variation) of subjective pain.

Contact

k.alfaraj@essex.ac.uk

Location:

Colchester Campus