IMAGE-D: Integrated Multimodal Analysis for Gaining Enhanced Understanding and Characterization of Dementia

Summary

Dementia encompasses various subtypes such as Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia, each affecting different aspect of brain structure and function. While various imaging techniques like structural MRI, functional MRI, PET scans, and DTI exist to capture these differences, their limited combined use hampers a thorough understanding of dementia subtypes, potentially missing valuable insights into underlying brain changes and individual variations.

Project aims

By leveraging a multimodal approach in interdisciplinary setting and utilizing existing imaging datasets, such as cohorts linked to Dementia Platform UK, the project seeks to distinguish between different dementia types, track disease progression, and enhance our knowledge of their unique characteristics.

The developed methodology will also allow for the integration of imaging data with other biological or clinical information, such as genetics, biochemical markers, or neuropsychological assessments, enabling exploration of the relationships between brain changes, molecular pathology, and clinical symptoms.

This project offers an opportunity to contribute to dementia research and develop expertise in multimodal imaging, advanced statistics (both data-driven AI modelling and hypothesis-driven path analysis) and data integration.  

References

Liu, X., Tyler, L. K., Cam-Can, Rowe, J.B., & Tsvetanov, K. A. (2022). Multimodal fusion analysis of functional, cerebrovascular and structural neuroimaging in healthy aging subjects. Human Brain Mapping. https://doi.org/10.1002/HBM.26025 

Liu, X., Tyler, L. K., Cam-CAN, Davis, S. W., Rowe, J. B., & Tsvetanov, K. A. (2023). Cognition’s dependence on functional network integrity with age is conditional on structural network integrity. Neurobiology of Aging, 129, 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NEUROBIOLAGING.2023.06.001 

Passamonti, L.*, Tsvetanov, K. A.*, Jones, P. S., Bevan-Jones, W. R., Arnold, R., Borchert, R. J., Mak, E., Su, L., O’Brien, J. T., & Rowe, J. B. (2019). Neuroinflammation and functional connectivity in Alzheimer’s disease: interactive influences on cognitive performance. The Journal of Neuroscience, 39(36), 2518–2574. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.2574-18.2019 

Tsvetanov, K. A., Gazzina, S., Jones, S. P., Swieten, J. van, Borroni, B., Sanchez-Valle, R., Moreno, F., Laforce, R., Graff, C., Synofzik, M., Galimberti, D., Masellis, M., Tartaglia, M. C., Finger, E., Vandenberghe, R., Mendonça, A. de, Tagliavini, F., Santana, I., Ducharme, S., … (GENFI), T. G. F. T. D. I. (2020). Brain functional network integrity sustains cognitive function despite atrophy in presymptomatic genetic frontotemporal dementia. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12209

Contact details

Dr Kamen Tsvetanov (kat35@cam.ac.uk) - Clinical Neurosciences

Opportunities

This opportunity is open to PhD applicants.