Dr A Yarnall
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Number of awards
1
Start date and duration
1 October 2018 for 3 years.
Application closing date
Wednesday 27 June 2018.
Overview
The NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is a partnership between the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and theFaculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University. We aim to build on our excellence in our research themes, and apply advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these individual long-term conditions to ageing syndromes such as sarcopenia, frailty and multi-morbidity.
Sarcopenia and frailty are both increasingly recognised in older patients, but currently there is a limited amount of work on how these syndromes interrelate with age-related neurological diseases such as dementia. Increased grip strength, a key component of both sarcopenia and frailty, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To date there has been no work on sarcopenia and frailty in other dementia syndromes such as Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB).
In addition to cognitive changes and fluctuations seen in DLB, Lewy Body dementias have a far higher risk for falls than other dementia syndromes. Sarcopenia and frailty are also associated with greater fall frequency.
The aims of this study are to:
•Characterise skeletal muscle in a well-defined cohort of participants with prodromal DLB
•Describe associations of skeletal muscle with cognition and physical performance
•Describe associations of skeletal muscle with falls over 12 months.
This is an excellent opportunity for a successful student to join Newcastle University and be an integral part of our NIHR training structure.
Sponsor:
NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (https://www.newcastlebrc.nihr.ac.uk/)
Name of supervisor(s):
Dr Alison Yarnall (https://bit.ly/2KvTs8Q), Institute of Neuroscience (https://bit.ly/2jpD1P4)
Professor Alan Thomas (https://bit.ly/2w4vOwZ), Institute of Neuroscience
Dr Richard Dodds, Institute of Neuroscience
Eligibility Criteria:
You must have a 1st or 2:1 honours degree in an appropriate scientific speciality (Biomedical Sciences or similar), a Masters degree in a relevant subject would be advantageous.
You must meet the following English language requirements: IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in all other sub-skills).
Open to UK/EU and International applicants but successful international candidates will be required to make up the difference between the UK/EU and international fees.
How to apply:
You must apply through the University’s online postgraduate application system. To do this please ‘Create a new account’ (https://bit.ly/2wbzP2y).
You must include the following information:
•insert the programme code 8300F in the programme of study section
•select ‘PhD in the Faculty of Medical Sciences (full time) – Neurosciences/Neurobiology’ as the programme of study
•insert the studentship code IN100 in the studentship/partnership reference field
•attach a covering letter and CV. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote the studentship reference code IN100 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project
•attach degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualifications.
Contact:
For further details please contact:
Eleanor Lockhart, Training Manager
NIHR Newcastle BRC
Email: [Email Address Removed]
Funding Notes
100% of UK/EU tuition fees paid and annual living expenses of £14,553 (full award). Successful international candidates will be required to make up the difference between the UK/EU fees and international fees. Also research support costs which includes funds for travel and conference attendance which will be paid at £5,000 per year.