Functional MRI Imaging in Traumatic Brain Injury

Summary

Brain Injury (TBI). The work undertaken in Cambridge examines the role of MRI in routine TBI imaging and our projects focus on the role of resting state functional MRI in TBI imaging. There is now abundant evidence from functional MRI suggesting that the resting brain is organised in coherent long-range networks.

The functionality of these networks is easily inferred since they typically track the functional anatomy of networks identified during activation studies. For this reason, the translational potential of resting networks, particularly in patients unable to participate in stimulus driven experiments (e.g. TBI), seems immense but is mostly unrealised.

Project aims

Projects in this research theme will evaluate the usefulness of resting state functional MRI imaging in TBI for understanding and tracking disease processes and prognosticating cognitive recovery.

Specifically, we will aim to relate functional connectivity patterns to cognitive measures, vulnerability for depression (Pappas et al., 2020 -preprint; Moreno-López et al., 2016) and to functional outcome in general (e.g. Woodrow et al., 2023). Experience in neuroimaging, in particular MRI analysis, is required for these projects. Skills in scientific computing and programming (e.g., Linux, Matlab, Python) are essential.

Contact details

Emmanuel A Stamatakis (eas46@cam.ac.uk) Anaesthesia

Opportunities

This project is open to applicants who want to do a:

• PhD
• MPhil