Does a common aetiology between Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis exist?

Bone is highly innervated with bone mass and bone homeostasis regulated by central cues and transmitted mainly via the sympathetic nervous system. A direct link between brain and bone function has been described previously with increased sympathetic output mediating low bone mass in depression and decreased skeletal sympathetic signaling has also been shown to mediate traumatic brain injury. Nerve fibers with active expression of various neural transmission ligands have been demonstrated to be in close proximity with bone cells. Therefore, it appears possible that changes in brain function could directly alter bone homeostasis and function.

Dementia and osteoporosis are complex diseases, which are often present concurrently. It has been reported that femoral neck fractures are more frequent in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) than in those without the disease. Recently the potential for common aetiologies to exist between osteoporosis an AD has been highlighted with amyloid-β peptide levels elevate in osteoporotic bone tissue. However, robust evidence remains to be produced regarding the exact aetiology of amyloid-β deposition between AD and osteoporosis. Revealing a link between the diseases is vital as clinical measures could be put in place following AD onset and diagnosis to prevent occurrence of fragility fractures.

This PhD studentship will utilise state of the art imaging techniques and finite element modelling to assess bone microstructure and function following early and late stages of AD. This multidisciplinary PhD project offers a unique interdisciplinary programme at the engineering, life science, and biomedical interface with shared support from the Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences and the Faculty of the Environment and Life Sciences the University of Southampton. The student will directly collaborate with researchers at the School of Biological Sciences and μ-VIS X-ray Imaging Centre, while benefitting from the exceptional opportunity to gain expertise in cutting-edge bioimaging technologies, computational engineering approaches and our translational efforts to change the life for the better, based on engineering and biomedical expertise.

The ideal candidate will have biomedical (imaging) experience and a good knowledge of computational engineering approaches. Although biomedical science/biology graduates with a willingness to learn will also be considered.