Imaging fluid flow in the brain – relation to dementia?

PhD Studentship Award

This project is one of 13 four year PhD Studentships funded by Medical Research Scotland (http://www.medicalresearchscotland.org.uk) to be delivered jointly by the named University and Company. The Studentship will provide the first-class academic and commercial training needed to equip the successful candidate for a science career in an increasingly competitive market.

"Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging techniques for diagnosis of cerebral microvascular dysfunction" to be delivered by the University of Edinburgh [Supervisors: Professor Ian Marshall, Professor Joanna Wardlaw and Dr Michael Thrippleton (all Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences)] and Siemens Healthcare Limited (https://www.healthcare.siemens.co.uk/healthcare-company-profile) [Company supervisor: Dr Craig Buckley].

The setting:
This prestigious PhD is set in a major centre for stroke and dementia research with a focus on small blood vessels. It benefits from both Siemens industrial collaboration and global academic collaborations.

The project:
The brain depends on a network of small blood vessels to supply energy and remove waste. Many cases of dementia and stroke are due to the vessels not working properly, but the cause is not properly known due to difficulty in studying the vessels in life. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers some promising new ways to measure their function and its effects on the brain, but these scans currently take a long time and have not been widely tested. In this project, we will investigate the pulsatility of blood vessels, brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid. Advanced MRI techniques will be refined and tested in healthy volunteers and in a range of patients with mild stroke or cognitive problems. Pulsatility will be measured using a ‘4D flow’ (3D + time) protocol. We will optimise the balance between temporal resolution, spatial resolution and examination time, aiming to collect data with 1mm spatial resolution throughout a thick slab of the brain within 20 minutes. We will use a multi-channel head coil together with state-of-the-art acceleration techniques. The 4D flow measurements will be compared with conventional measurements in feeding arteries and draining veins, conventional blood pressure and pulse wave velocity. Of particular interest will be the progression of pulse waveforms down the arterial branching structure, through brain tissue and CSF spaces, and into the veins, information that is not traditionally available.

Tissue pulsation will be studied using an experimental rapid imaging technique that has whole brain coverage every 100ms. Analysis of these images will be synchronised to the cardiac and respiratory cycles to investigate their influence on patterns of brain pulsation.

You
You will develop your skills within a multidisciplinary imaging research environment, working alongside imaging scientists, radiologists and clinicians. Training will include novel MRI techniques, scanner pulse sequence programming, the handling of large data sets, and computational image analysis using packages such as Matlab and SPM. There will be the opportunity to attend conferences and spend some time with the industrial partner Siemens.

ENQUIRIES:

Enquiries should be sent by email to Professor Ian Marshall:
[Email Address Removed]

APPLICATIONS:
Candidates must have obtained, or expect to obtain, a minimum 2.1 undergraduate degree, or equivalent for degrees obtained outside the UK, in a relevant discipline, for example physical sciences, computing, mathematics or engineering. Experience with MRI/NMR would be an advantage. Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently are essential.

Applications must be submitted online through the link at the University of Edinburgh’s Edinburgh Neuroscience website:
http://www.edinburghneuroscience.ed.ac.uk/project/EI4-CCBS-2018
Your application should include a full Curriculum Vitae, the contact details of 2 academic references (including email addresses), and a covering letter, explaining why you wish to carry out this project.

Interviews are expected to take place approximately 3-4 weeks after the closing date for applications.

It is anticipated that the PhD Studentship will start in September 2018.