Brain changes in Motor Neurone Disease at University of Edinburgh on FindAPhD.com

This project is no longer listed on FindAPhD.com and may not be available.

Click here to search FindAPhD.com for PhD studentship opportunities

Prof T L Spires-Jones No more applications being accepted Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

About the Project

Motor neurone Disease (MND), also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), is a devastating neurological disease characterized by degeneration of both brain and spinal cord motor neurons. Recent evidence indicates that in addition to motor impairment, many MND patients suffer cognitive decline. Furthermore, genetics data has revealed that the same genetic change (a hexanucleotide repeat in a single gene) can cause either MND or frontotemporal dementia, indicating that these diseases lie on a spectrum of neurodegeneration. In many neurodegenerative diseases, including frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s, degeneration of synapses has been shown to be key in causing cognitive impairments, but very little is known about the causes of cognitive decline in MND. In this project, the student will use donated human brain tissue from MND patients and controls and high-resolution immunofluorescence imaging to explore synaptic degeneration. Analysis will be targeted to the brain regions known to be important for the cognitive tasks in which patients show impairments. We hypothesize that mechanisms involved in synapse degeneration in dementias may also be involved in degeneration in MND. Currently, there are no effective treatments for MND, which causes death within years of onset. Determining why the brain degenerates is vital to the development of therapeutics.

Prerequisites
Immunohistochemistry, biochemistry and microscopy skills are essential skills for this project. However, training will be provided. Working with human tissue and experience of processing and cutting tissue for electron microscopy are desirable but not essential skills.

The Euan MacDonald Centre will fully fund one UK/EU studentship to commence in autumn 2017. Potential applicants must contact their supervisor of choice to discuss the project before applying. The interviews with successful candidates will be held in late January 2017.

Funding Notes

The studentship is hosted by Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease and offers the opportunities to:
• shadow an MND Nurse Specialist, meet people with MND, and attend an MND clinic and/or home visit
• undertake a short placement with a Principal Investigator of a different specialty
• attend and present at six-monthly seminar afternoons featuring a wide range of Centre research
• obtain bursaries to present data at national and international meetings
• gain experience in public engagement by participating in open days and MND Awareness events.
• access the Centre’s communications pipeline to promote the student’s research

References

1. Goldstein, L. H., and S. Abrahams. "Changes in Cognition and Behaviour in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Nature of Impairment and Implications for Assessment." Lancet Neurol 12.4 (2013): 368-80.
2. Henstridge, C.M. et al. “Post-mortem brain analyses of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936: Extending lifetime cognitive and brain phenotyping to the level of the synapse.” Acta Neuropathologica Communications. (2015) 3:53
3. Ferraiuolo, L., et al. "Molecular Pathways of Motor Neuron Injury in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis." Nat Rev Neurol 7.11 (2011): 616-30.
4. Fogarty et al. “Motor Cortex Layer V Pyramidal Neurons Exhibit Dendritic Regression, Spine Loss, and Increased Synaptic Excitation in the Presymptomatic hSOD1G93A Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.” J Neurosci 15(2) (2015): 643-647
5. Niven E. et al. “Validation of the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Screen (ECAS): A cognitive tool for motor disorders” Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degner (2015) 16(3-4): 172-179

Where will I study?

University of Edinburgh

One of the world''s top universities, consistently ranked in the world top 50 and placed 20th in the QS World University Rankings 2020. We provide a stimulating working, learning and teaching environment with access to excellent facilities and attract the world''s best, from Nobel Prize winning laureates to future explorers, pioneers and inventors.

Brain changes in Motor Neurone Disease

University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine