Course detail

Welcome to Assessment and modulation of pain mechanisms - a theoretical and hands-on course

Program:   BEN

Description:

“Personalized Mechanistic Pain Medicine” aims to assess the underlying mechanisms of pain and target these mechanisms using tailored treatment. Assessment of pain is complex and range from assessments of nerve activity using advanced neurophysiological tests to patient reported outcomes. Emerging evidence supports that multiple pain mechanisms interact on each other and many of these are modulated by comorbidities and/or demographic features (such as age, gender, BMI).

This course will provide the students with an in-depth understanding of a range of pain mechanisms in relation to (1) central pain mechanisms using quantitative sensory testing; (2) assessments of cognitive factors (such as pain catastrophizing, anxiety and depression); and (3) neurophysiological assessments and modulation of the motor system and how this is related to changes in pain.

Students will be introduced to how these can be assessed and be provided with examples on and how these can be modulated. Additionally, this course includes an introduction to the pain laboratories and hands-on experience with assessments of pain mechanisms.

The course is located at Aalborg University but welcomes students from outside.

Literature/Requirements:

Selected papers and book chapters will be announced to the participants shortly before the course.

Prerequisites

None

 Evaluation

A multiple-choice test will evaluate the student’s outcome of the course and evaluated as pass/not pass.

Organizer: Associate Professor Kristian Kjær-Staal Petersen

Lecturers: Kristian Kjær-Staal Petersen, Daniel Ciampi de Andrade, Laura Petrini

ECTS: 2,5

Date: 23, 24, 25 March 2026

Time: 08.15-16.15

Place: Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, 9260 Gistrup, room 12.01.054

City: Aalborg

Number of seats: 25

Deadline: 2 March 2026

Important information concerning PhD courses: 

There is a no-show fee of DKK 3,000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before the start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start of the course.

We cannot ensure any seats before the deadline for enrolment, all participants will be informed after the deadline, approximately 3 weeks before the start of the course.

To attend courses at the Doctoral School in Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology you must be enrolled as a PhD student.

For inquiries regarding registration, cancellation or waiting list, please contact the PhD administration at phdcourses@adm.aau.dk When contacting us please state the course title and course period. Thank you.