Welcome to the Pain and Neuroinflammation Imaging Lab
(PI: Marco Loggia, PhD)
Who are we?
The Loggia Lab’s main research questions focus on the brain mechanisms of pain in humans. We are particularly interested in the evaluation of neuroimaging metrics as potential biomarkers of clinical pain, and in the identification of brain alterations occurring in patients suffering from chronic pain conditions.
Some of the lab’s most recent work focuses on the exploration of the role of non-neural cells in the brain (glial cells) and their interplay with neural cells as a potential pathophysiological mechanism in patients with chronic pain. While neuroinflammation has been the subject of intense investigation in animal models, as of today it has been heavily understudied in humans.
In the quest to achieve a deeper understanding of the brain mechanisms of human pain, we use a variety of psychophysical and brain imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) – including Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI and Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) – as well as integrated Positron Emission Tomography / Magnetic Resonance (PET/MR) imaging.
Latest News
- Paper Alert! Brain Inflammation in Long-Covid.In collaboration with Mike Van Elzakker, our paper investigating neuroinflammation and long-COVID has been published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Check out the paper in the “publications” section of… Read more: Paper Alert! Brain Inflammation in Long-Covid.
- Marco Loggia Invited to Give a Plenary Lecture at the 14th Congress of the European Pain FederationDr. Marco Loggia has been invited to give a Plenary Lecture at the 14th Congress of the European Pain Federation EFIC! This year’s congress theme is “Comorbidity of chronic… Read more: Marco Loggia Invited to Give a Plenary Lecture at the 14th Congress of the European Pain Federation
- Our Work Featured on the Cover of PAINWe are excited to share that an image from our recent paper on knee PET imaging has been featured on the cover of the May 2024 issue of PAIN!… Read more: Our Work Featured on the Cover of PAIN
- Loggia Lab Has Joined the Harvard Brain Science Initiative!We are very excited for the lab to be joining the Harvard Brain Science Initiative! Check out the link below to learn more about this organization.
- Dr. Marco Loggia Joins the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical SchoolOur PI, Dr. Marco Loggia, was appointed Faculty Affiliate in the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard University! From their website, “The Harvard PhD Program in Neuroscience (PiN) is centered… Read more: Dr. Marco Loggia Joins the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School
- Paper Alert! A collaboration with Caterina Mainero’s groupNew paper, a collaboration with Caterina Mainero’s group, describes cortico-meningeal expression of the translocator protein in multiple sclerosis. Read the paper here!