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Bianka Karshikoff

Affiliated to research

Research description

My research is in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, which is the study of how the immune system affects the brain and the behavior. During my doctoral thesis, I used experimental inflammatory models to understand how inflammation affects the perception of pain, and how the brain is affected by inflammation. In my current studies, I use a translational approach where the theories from experimental research are tested in clinical settings. Some of the research questions I am working on are if ongoing, low-grade inflammation affects cognitive behavioral treatment for chronic pain, and if the inflammatory load during pollen season affect the pain system in allergic patients.