My primary interest focuses on the brain mechanisms of pain and pain modulation. I am particularly interested in using combined brain imaging tools to investigate how noxious information is processed in the brain, how noxious information can be influenced by treatment (acupuncture) and the mind (placebo and nocebo), how the mind and acupuncture interact during this modulation process, and how acupuncture is different placebo. In addition, I am also interested in the brain network evoked by acupuncture stimulation and the reliability of the activation pattern in both healthy and patients population.