
Doctor of Philosophy
Master of Clinical Psychology
Dr Nahian Chowdhury is a postdoctoral research fellow. Dr Chowdhury’s work involves the use of non-invasive brain stimulation to understand the neural mechanisms for pain and cognitive control. Specifically, he is interested in how cognitive control mediates the neural and subjective response to pain. Dr Chowdhury is passionate about translating research into clinical practice, with the aim of finding brain biomarkers for cognitive control and pain that will be used diagnostically or be used as targets for therapies such as repetitive brain stimulation.
2020 – ACNS Emerging Researcher Award
2019 – Sydney University Publication Prize
2018- International Graduate Accommodation award for the 3rd International Meeting of the Psychonomic Society
2017 – Travel award for Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society (ACNS) Conference
2017 – Sydney University PsychFEST Best Presentation
2016 – Sydney Postgraduate Psychology Conference Best Presentation
2015 – The University Medal
The PREDICT Project: A novel cortical biomarker signature for predicting pain sensitivity
Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is the second most common musculoskeletal pain condition and is associated with pain and tenderness of the jaw. Although a number of biological factors have shown an association with chronic TMD in cross-sectional and case control studies, there are currently no biomarkers that can predict the development of chronic symptoms. Because of the difficulty in treating chronic pain, development of brain signal predictive biomarkers is of growing interest. The PREDICT project will aim to develop a predictive biomarker signature of pain severity and duration using two commonly available techniques – electroencephalogram (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) – and perform initial clinical validation in first onset TMD. The biomarker could have utility in identifying patients at high risk of transitioning from acute to chronic pain and has additional potential for clinical application in the treatment and prevention of chronic pain.
Statistical Component for Ocular Imaging and Applied Vision Science