Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers and lecturers at the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences,  Dr James Crane and Dr Andrew Delaney, will explore the nature of human emotions when they present a two-part public lecture, ‘The Emotional Brain’, at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 3 May. Dr Crane will examine the research questions that have fascinated psychologists and neuroscientists for more than 100 years; ‘what are emotions?’ and ‘how does the brain generate an emotion?’. “I will discuss the early anatomical research that uncovered the brain regions involved, and the more recent advances made in tracing the neuronal pathways, some of which are involved in generating the emotional response to pain,” Dr Crane said. Dr Delaney will discuss how emotion is an integral aspect of pain. “I will highlight the current research Dr Crane and I are doing to address how the emotional circuits of the brain are activated during a painful experience, and how changes in these circuits might contribute to the high rate of depression and anxiety in sufferers of chronic pain,” Dr Delaney said.