The research team will be using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) to investigate their uses for pain relief in humans: healthy human subjects, acute pain patients, and chronic pain patients. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings will be collected to achieve the following objectives:~Objective 1 aims to determine the effects of noninvasive brain stimulation on the pain-related brain activities during pain processing. We hypothesize that noninvasive brain stimulation approaches will increase or decrease cortical activity upon processing painful input.~Objective 2 aims to determine the effects of noninvasive brain stimulation on pain intensity and/or pain-related behavioral assessments. We hypothesize that noninvasive brain stimulation will influence pain-intensity and/or pain-related behavioral assessments.~Objective 3 aims to investigate the correlation between brain activity and pain relief after noninvasive brain stimulation. We hypothesize that noninvasive brain stimulation will suppress cortical activity in pain-related brain areas, reduce pain intensity, and/or improve pain-related behavioral assessments.
Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS), is be applied to healthy human subjects, acute pain patients, and chronic pain patients to investigate their uses for pain relief.