Towards a Neuroimaging Biomarker of Fatigue in Inflammatory Disease

SUPERVISORS: Dr Neil Basu, Dr Gordon Waiter and Professor Alison Murray

We are pleased to invite applications for a prestigious Sir Jules Thorn PhD Scholarship based at the Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre (ABIC). In this fully funded project, the successful applicant will develop advanced skills in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data acquisition and analysis with view to improving future patient care. Specifically, we aim to develop a unique neuroimaging biomarker for fatigue, a pervasive and burdensome complaint among patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. We have already identified a number of isolated structural and functional correlates of fatigue, the challenge now is to consolidate the various MRI derived neural metrics with a view to modelling an integrated neuro-pathophysiological map of the symptom. The studentship will adapt and apply cutting edge computational methodologies within the Aberdeen Rheumatoid Arthritis Brain Cohort. This rich data set, the largest of its kind, incorporates simultaneously acquired multi-modal MRI images with concurrent clinical characterisation. New data will then be acquired from patients receiving a fatigue alleviating therapy in order to validate the ultimate models. The successful applicant should ideally have a degree in physics/engineering/computer science and a strong interest in medical imaging. He/she will join a vibrant multi-disciplinary team within ABIC working alongside the group’s other PhD students.