MBBS, MD, MSc (Pain management), PhD, FRCA, FFPMRCA
Non-surgical interventions
Pharmacological treatments
Professor Saxena is an established and well-renowned consultant in Pain Management.
Along with the essential qualifications (MBBS, MD, FRCA, FFPMRCA) required to be pain specialist consultant, he has achieved a Masters (MSc), from Cardiff University, and a further PhD in neurosciences, for his novel research in studying human brain function using the exciting new technology of functional MRI. He was also awarded the diploma in Lifestyle Medicine, by the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (USA) and the Diploma in Musculoskeletal medicine by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise medicine (UK).
Along with his clinical work, he has championed better quality and safety of pain management. He has led the development of a South Wales’ Network of Acute Pain teams (SwNAP) to raise the standards of inpatient pain management and serves as the past-Chairs of both the Welsh Pain Society and SwNAP.
He was awarded the NISCHR Clinical Research Fellowship in 2014 and maintains his research interests in understanding the brain mechanisms of pain perception and improving clinical outcomes of various pain therapies. He presents and teaches nationally and internationally. He is also a member of the Faculty of Pain Medicine – professional standards committee.
He offers a full range of medicinal, interventional and non-surgical treatments for all painful conditions. He has a special interest and expertise in back, knee and shoulder pain. He uses motivational interviewing and shared decision making tools to support patients make their own treatment choices.
MBBS, MD, MSc (Pain management), PhD, FRCA, FFPMRCA
Year of first medical qualification: 1999
Professor Saxena enjoys travelling, photography (especially while traveling), hiking, and playing cricket and badminton.
Consultant in Pain Medicine and Anaesthesia
1. Saxena N, Shaw A, Muthukumaraswamy S, Wise R, Singh KD: Robust resting-state oscillatory fingerprints of GABA-ergic and non-GABA-ergic sedation, BIOMAG 2022. Birmingham, U.K., 2022, pp 454
2. Chiarelli AM, Germuska M, Chandler H, Stickland R, Patitucci E, Biondetti E, Mascali D, Saxena N, Khot S, Steventon J, Foster C, Rodriguez-Soto AE, Englund E, Murphy K, Tomassini V, Wehrli FW, Wise RG: A flow-diffusion model of oxygen transport for quantitative mapping of cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) with single gas calibrated fMRI. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2022; 42: 1192-1209
3. Chandler HL, Stickland RC, Patitucci E, Germuska M, Chiarelli AM, Foster C, Bhome-Dhaliwal S, Lancaster TM, Saxena N, Khot S, Tomassini V, Wise RG: Reduced brain oxygen metabolism in patients with multiple sclerosis: Evidence from dual-calibrated functional MRI. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2022: 271678X221121849
4. Chiarelli AM, Germuska M, Chandler H, Stickland R, Patitucci E, Biondetti E, Mascali D, Saxena N, Khot S, Steventon J, Foster C, Rodriguez-Soto AE, Englund E, Murphy K, Tomassini V, Wehrli FW, Wise RG: Oxygen Transport Modelling for Mapping Brain Oxygen Extraction Fraction with Single Gas Calibrated fMRI, Joint Annual Meeting ISMRM-ESMRMB & ISMRT 31st Annual Meeting. London, 2022
5. Saxena N, Muthukumaraswamy SD, Richmond L, Babic A, Singh KD, Hall JE, Wise RG, Shaw AD: A comparison of GABA-ergic (propofol) and non-GABA-ergic (dexmedetomidine) sedation on visual and motor cortical oscillations, using magnetoencephalography. Neuroimage 2021; 245: 118659
6. Saxena N, Gili T, Diukova A, Huckle D, Hall JE, Wise RG: Mild Propofol Sedation Reduces Frontal Lobe and Thalamic Cerebral Blood Flow: An Arterial Spin Labeling Study, Proceedings of the International School on Magnetic Resonance and Brain Function – XIII Workshop. Edited by Ronen I, Bianciardi M, Giove F, Frontiers Media SA, 2021
7. Shaw AD, Muthukumaraswamy SD, Saxena N, Sumner RL, Adams NE, Moran RJ, Singh KD: Generative modelling of the thalamo-cortical circuit mechanisms underlying the neurophysiological effects of ketamine. Neuroimage 2020; 221: 117189
8. Rossiter H, Chandler H, Saxena N, Wise RG, Singh KD, Khot S. Oscillatory dynamics in ischaemic pain. British Journal of Pain 2020: 2
9. El-Mekki J, Saxena N. A service evaluation of the use of cannabidiol products among people with chronic/persistent pain, attending Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Hospitals. British Journal of Pain 2020: 1-2
10. Varanasi M, Saxena N. Patient engagement with a pre-clinic questionnaire in outpatient pain clinics. British Journal of Pain 2020: 3
11. Saxena N, Gili T, Diukova A, Huckle D, Hall JE, Wise RG: Mild Propofol Sedation Reduces Frontal Lobe and Thalamic Cerebral Blood Flow: An Arterial Spin Labeling Study. Frontiers in Physiology 2019; 10
12. Patitucci E, Stickland R, Chandler H, Germuska M, Foster C, Khot S, Saxena N, Tomassini V, Wise RG: Voxel-wise CMRO2 mapping reveals focally-reduced task-related oxygen consumption in multiple sclerosis., 2019
13. Patitucci E, Foster C, Stickland R, Chandler H, Germuska M, Khot S, Saxena N, Tomassini V, Wise RG: Energetics of brain plasticity in the healthy and MS brain: a quantitative fMRI study OHBM. Rome, 2019
14. Patitucci E, Foster C, Stickland R, Chandler H, Germuska M, Khot S, Saxena N, Tomassini V, Wise RG: Energetics of brain plasticity in the healthy and MS brain: a quantitative fMRI study, OHBM, 2019
15. Chandler HL, Stickland R, Germuska M, Patitucci E, Foster C, Khot S, Saxena N, Bhome-Dhaliwal S, Tomassini V, Wise RG: Quantification of cerebral grey matter vascular and metabolic functionin multiple sclerosis using dual-calibrated fMRI., ISMRM. Paris, 2019
16. Bosanquet D, Ambler G, Waldron CA, Thomas-Jones E, Brookes-Howell L, Kelson M, Pickles T, Harris D, Milosevic S, Fitzsimmons D, Saxena N, Twine C: Perineural local anaesthetic catheter after major lower limb amputation trial (PLACEMENT): results from a randomised controlled feasibility trial. BMJ Open 2019; 9: e029233
17. Bosanquet DC, Ambler GK, Waldron CA, Thomas-Jones E, Brookes-Howell L, Kelson M, Harris D, Pickles T, Milosevic S, Fitzsimmons D, Saxena N, Twine CP: Major lower limb amputation audit – introduction and implementation of a multimodal perioperative pain management guideline. Br J Pain 2018; 12: 257-258
18. Stickland R, Germuska M, Chandler H, Foster C, Saxena N, Khot S, Tomassini V, Wise RG: Visual stimulus induced changes in oxygen metabolism in Multiple Sclerosis, School of Brain Cells and Circuits: From cell physiology to integrated signals and emerging brain functions, 2017
19. Bosanquet DC, Ambler GK, Waldron CA, Thomas-Jones E, Brookes-Howell L, Kelson M, Pickles T, Harris D, Fitzsimmons D, Saxena N, Twine CP: Perineural local anaesthetic catheter after major lower limb amputation trial (PLACEMENT): study protocol for a randomised controlled pilot study. Trials 2017; 18: 629
20. Saxena N, Gili T, Huckle D, Bell S, Hall J, Wise R: Mild propofol sedation reduces frontal lobe and thalamic cerebral blood flow: an arterial spin labelling study. British Journal of Anaesthesia 2016; 117: e841
21. Saxena N, Forsyth A, Babic A, Dasari S, Richmond L, Worthen S, Hall J, Muthukumaraswamy S: Dissociating analgesic and sedative actions of anaesthetic drugs with magnetoencephalography (MEG); Initial results., 16th World Congress on Pain. Yokohama, Japan, IASP, 2016, pp PTH392
22. Saxena N, Babic A, Richmond L, Shaw A, Hall J, Muthukumaraswamy S: Visual stimulus-induced oscillatory activity can differentiate between GABAergic and non-GABAergic sedation. British Journal of Anaesthesia 2016; 11: e841- e842
23. Shaw AD, Saxena N, L EJ, Hall JE, Singh KD, Muthukumaraswamy SD: Ketamine amplifies induced gamma frequency oscillations in the human cerebral cortex. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 25: 1136-46
24. Richmond L, Jackson L, Shaw A, Hall J, Saxena N, Muthukumaraswamy S: The neural, oscillatory, correlates of sedative ketamine infusion: a pharmaco-MEG (magnetoencephalographic) study. European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2015; 32: 183
25. Muthukumaraswamy SD, Shaw AD, Jackson LE, Hall J, Moran R, Saxena N: Evidence that Subanesthetic Doses of Ketamine Cause Sustained Disruptions of NMDA and AMPA-Mediated Frontoparietal Connectivity in Humans. J Neurosci 2015; 35: 11694-706