This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the GW4 BioMed2 MRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) which is offering up to 20 studentships for entry in October 2022.
The DTP brings together the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter to develop the next generation of biomedical researchers. Students will have access to the combined research strengths, training expertise and resources of the four research-intensive universities. More information may be found here: https://www.gw4biomed.ac.uk/.
Supervisory Team:
Dr Tom Freeman (lead), University of Bath, Department of Psychology
Dr Esther Walton, University of Bath, Department of Psychology
Prof Derek Jones, Cardiff University, Department of Psychology
Dr Emma Dempster, University of Exeter, School of Medicine
The Research:
Cannabis is used by approximately 200 million people worldwide. This number is set to increase further as cannabis becomes available as a legal drug in the USA, Canada and beyond. One of the key public health concerns arising from this is the potential adverse impact of cannabis use on the developing brain.
Advances in our understanding of the endocannabinoid system show that it plays a key role in adolescent neurodevelopment. Cannabinoid receptors are abundantly expressed in brain regions which change rapidly during adolescence and are highly interconnected with white matter fibers. Because cannabis acts on cannabinoid receptors, adolescence could mark a crucial developmental window of heightened vulnerability to the effects of cannabis.
This studentship will provide exclusive access to data from a major MRC-funded project: “How does cannabis use affect teenagers’ brains, cognitive functions and psychological wellbeing? (cannTEEN)”, registered on the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/2sbx3/. You will work with an unprecedented dataset including a suite of neuroimaging, genetic, clinical, cognitive, and biological marker data, supervised by international experts in cannabinoid psychopharmacology, neuroimaging and epigenetics. You will benefit from access to world-leading training and facilities across GW4, including the Addiction and Mental Health Group (University of Bath), Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), and the Complex Disease Epigenomics Group (University of Exeter). You will be supported in developing the project according to your own interests and recent advances in the field to develop your independence and leadership skills.
The cannTEEN study consists of four groups (adolescent cannabis users, adolescent controls, adult cannabis users, adult controls) followed up every three months for one year. You will have the opportunity to address the following research questions:
Are adolescents more vulnerable to the effects of cannabis use than adults on (i) brain structure (ii), white matter microstructure, (iii) brain aging, (iv) epigenetic aging? Furthermore, are these changes associated with clinical symptoms of mental health and addiction, biological markers of cannabis use, and changes in the endocannabinoid system?
As the first longitudinal study to directly compare how adolescents and adults differ in response to cannabis use on the brain and aging, this studentship will generate world-first findings, with the potential to inform policy (e.g. minimum age restrictions for cannabis sales). In the final six months, you will engage with young people from local schools to create a video resource using results from research questions 1-4. The video will be designed to play a dual role: an evidence-based drugs education resource, and to encourage engagement with science among young people.
You will be supported in disseminating your research through peer-reviewed journal articles, conferences such as the British Neuroscience Association, British Association for Psychopharmacology and European College for Neuropsychopharmacology, and in the media through the University of Bath Press Office.
Requirements:
Applicants must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an area appropriate to the skills requirements of the project.
Non-UK applicants will also be required to have met the English language entry requirements of the University of Bath.
Enquiries and Applications:
Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Tom Freeman on email address [Email Address Removed].
Formal applications must be made direct to the GW4 BioMed2 DTP using their online application form.
A list of all available projects and more guidance on how to apply may be found on the DTP’s website. You may apply for up to 2 projects.
APPLICATIONS CLOSE AT 17:00 (GMT) ON 26 NOVEMBER 2021.
IMPORTANT: You do NOT need to apply to the University of Bath at this stage – only those applicants who are successful in obtaining an offer of funding from the DTP will be required to submit an application for an offer of study from Bath.
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