The University of South Australia
Research Field: Pain
Pain is frustratingly complex. Dr Stanton’s research has determined that people with chronic pain often have changes in the way their body feels to them, caused by changes in perception of how the brain “codes” for that body part. Using visual illusions, Dr Stanton’s team can change how the body looks to a person’s brain, making it seem bigger or smaller. Changing how the painful body part looks has been shown to reduce the pain experienced in osteoarthritis suffers. Her innovation in this area stands to trigger a new field of research into novel exploitation of brain-based mechanisms to induce analgesia and promote function.
Tasha is the section editor for the BodyinMind website. She has been involved in numerous public lectures, both nationally and internationally, to improve public knowledge about the brain’s role in pain and new brain-based treatments.
Dr Stanton was awarded her PhD for the University of Sydney in 2011 and is currently an NHMRC Early Career Fellow conjointly with the University of South Australia & Neuroscience Research Australia.