Research

The experiences of our day-to-day lives shapes our brains across our lifespan. We’re interested in how these life experiences may convey risk or confer resilience to the ageing process, and how becoming a parent changes your brain. We’re experts in multimodal neuroimaging, and use multiple neuroimaging methods (fMRI, PET, EEG, optical imaging) together with cognitive, behavioural, and psychosocial measures, to understand brain-behaviour relationships.

Our key research strengths are detailed below.

Areas of research/projects:

Simultaneous MRI-PET of human brain function

Simultaneous MRI-PET is a new technology that represents a significant development in imaging neuroscience. Simultaneous BOLD-fMRI/FDG-PET (blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging/[18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography) enables the simultaneous measurement of the two most widely used in vivo markers of neuronal activity – the haemodynamic response (BOLD-fMRI) and glucose uptake (FDG-PET).

We’ve spent several years focused on the development of high-temporal resolution ‘functional’ PET imaging, which provides an index of the timecourse of glucose metabolism during a scan. This work has seen the temporal resolution of the FDG-PET technique increase from a static measure (one image over a 10-30min scan) to sub-20sec frame durations. This work opens up the ability to measure dynamic changes in glucose uptake during rest, or in response to a task.

Simultaneous BOLD-fMRI/FDG-PET is a new technique with a complex data acquisition procedure. Since few biomedical imaging facilities world-wide currently have the capability of acquiring this data type, we’re committed to sharing knowledge on the acquisition approach and our data. Demonstration of the acquisition is provided in our recent Journal of Visualised Experiments paper, and our data is available on OpenNeuro. See our publications lists for details.

Images to be included: biograph

Functional and metabolic connectivity in ageing and neurodegenerative disease

Age-related cognitive decline is attributable to changes in the integrity of the brain over time: grey matter atrophies, white matter integrity is compromised, the brain functions less efficiently, and uses energy less efficiently. Ageing is the strongest risk factor for dementia. The variability in the trajectories in which people age is striking: some people decline early and quickly, soon unable to maintain independence; whereas others show resilience to the ageing process with few signs of overt decline.

It is not yet possible to predict whether a person is on a ‘normal’ or ‘degenerative’ ageing trajectory, at a timepoint that is ideal for implementation of preventative treatment. In this study, we’re exploring the neurodevelopmental trajectory of functional and metabolic connectivity over the adult lifespan, and in adults at risk of developing dementia.

Images to be included: Image from rsfpet paper

Neuroscience of parenthood

Becoming a parent is a major transition period in a person’s life. Pregnancy and the post-partum period are associated with dramatic changes in hormones, body size and bodily functions. Being a parent also dramatically increases the complexity of the person’s life – the parent needs to quickly adapt from a person primarily focused on their own wants, needs, and survival; to ensuring the survival and happiness of their children. This environmental complexity is long-lasting and rapidly changing – nappies, feeding and sleep schedules are soon swapped for school lunches and soccer practice.

Surprisingly, very little is known about how this major life milestone changes the brain. While a lot is known about how the brain responds to infant-centric stimuli (e.g., baby cries, faces), not a lot is known about how the parent’s brain changes. We’re interested in both acute (i.e., postpartum) and permanent changes in the brain that occur when one becomes a parent. We’ve shown that parenthood confers resilience to the ageing process, and some of the strange sensations of pregnancy (e.g., ‘foetal kicks’) are experienced for many years after the end of the pregnancy. We’re exploring the generalised cognitive, psychosocial, and neural changes associated with parenthood across sexes, genders and family structures.

Images to be included: Image from cereb cort paper