PhD Studentship in Edinburgh: Determining cerebral small vessel function and flow in small vessel disease

About the role

Small vessel disease (SVD) causes many cases of stroke and dementias. While what causes SVD is poorly understood, in patients with higher SVD severity their blood vessels are less responsive to increased demand. Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) can be measured using MRI scans during hypercapnic gas challenge. Existing methods to calculate CVR have limitations; more accurate quantification would improve understanding of SVD pathophysiology and patient stratification.

Responsibilities

• Support acquisition of brain MRI scans
• Further MRI physics knowledge
• Develop novel CVR methods to analyse several large existing datasets with extensive contextual data
• Learn about clinical brain imaging, how scans are interpreted and clinical presentations of SVD
• Expand statistical skills to run complex multifactorial analyses
• Develop scientific writing and presentation skills