Current projects
This is just a selection of current projects to give an idea of the contribution of each major project to the common focus and coherence of the group.
These projects all provide the opportunity to either:
- develop a new technique which may then be applied across several projects,
- gain experience with a technique which may then inform other projects using the same technique,
- share resources (workstations, software, staff, etc), or
- shed light on methods in which established techniques might be applied in new ways.
Stroke
Intracranial artery imaging to improve stroke prevention; determining the best management through imaging. Developing and applying new MR techniques (diffusion tensor imaging, spectroscopic imaging, perfusion imaging) to understanding the pathophysiology of acute ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.
Physics
Developing techniques to quantify blood flow in arteries to apply in the study of atheroma development and in other science, engineering and technology applications; and subsequently the Imaging Core of the Wellcome Clinical Research Facility (CRF), to develop new techniques for image analysis and manipulation and assist projects which require detailed computerised image analysis.
Psychiatry
Using methods for imaging detailed brain structure to determine structural abnormalities in schizophrenia, predictors of chronic depression, and early dementia; to apply complex MR techniques (diffusion tensor imaging and spectroscopic imaging) to study neuronal integrity in schizophrenia; to apply fMRI to the study of neural connectivity for complex tasks in schizophrenia.
Ageing and associated conditions
To identify structural and metabolic correlates of neuropsychological test performance and cortisol metabolism in a cohort of normal ageing males; to identify whether leakage of the blood brain barrier may be responsible for some of the cognitive impairment seen in subjects with late onset diabetes; and to use fMRI to try to determine correlates of speed of information processing of normal ageing and early dementia - thought to be a key determinant of cognitive ageing.
Neuropathology
To identify features on structural MR imaging associated with CJD and to use computerised image interpretation to improve the localisation on imaging and detection of these features.
Real time fMRI
This project has enabled us not only to set up the facility to do fMRI but also to develop the technique of "real time" visualisation of the brain response during the fMRI task.
This article was published on Jan 30, 2009