PhD opportunities

Multimodal imaging of brain metabolism in humans in vivo

The overall goal of this PhD thesis is the integration of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)1 with arterial spin labelling (ASL) perfusion MRI2 and quantitative BOLD MRI3 for a comprehensive assessment of oxygen metabolism in the healthy brain at baseline. This is a methodology driven thesis that will provide the tools for future basic neuroscience and/or clinical applications such as mitochondria diseases and stroke. The candidate will work on proving the feasibility of multimodal imaging for providing absolute measurement of cerebral oxygen metabolism at baseline and during modulated breathing conditions, potentially including visual and/or motor activation. The PhD student will be involved in setting up and testing the NIRS system; integrating the NIRS system with the MRI scanner; concomitant acquisition of NIRS and MR images; writing software for fusion of NIRS and CBF and OEF images at the single-subject level; and image processing at the single- and group-level analyses. Successful completion of the thesis will ensure that the candidate has gained: Knowledge of the fundamental principles of brain function and anatomy; Knowledge of the basic mathematical and physics of neuroimaging; Ability to acquire brain images using two different hardware systems; Ability to develop software for multi-modal image processing.

Funding notes

Funding for the PhD student was provided to Prof. Itamar Ronen by BSMS Dean as part of his start-up package at BSMS.

Supervisors

Iris Asllani and Dr Alessandro Colasanti.

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Stigma towards dementia in young people: The impact of media

Supervisors: Dr Nicolas Farina, Prof N Tabet, Dr Alys Griffiths 

Applications accepted all year round 

Self-Funded PhD Students Only

About the Project

Applications are invited for a 3-year PhD studentship to join the internationally recognised Centre for Dementia Studies, Brighton and Sussex Medical School at the University of Sussex Campus. 

The aim of the project is to better understand what dementia-related media young people engage with but also interrogate the relationship between various national and international media messages about dementia (social media, ad campaigns, movies) and how they affect attitudes towards dementia. 

Combatting stigma and raising awareness towards dementia is an international policy priority. As it stands, we know that negative attitudes towards dementia already exist from a young age, and that based on existing theories, attitude change might be easier during these younger years. Young people already have experiences of dementia, despite receiving little formal education about the condition. Whilst there is a significant minority that have provided support for a family member with dementia, many have experienced dementia only through the media (i.e. movies, news) and online sources. Previous research has identified that media messages of dementia can often be negative or stigmatizing, which could be in part responsible for attitude formation. However, it is unclear how young people engage with such media content about dementia and how this ultimately shapes stigma towards dementia. Such stigma ultimately influences how individuals engage with dementia, both now and in the future, and might ultimately determine career preferences. The research builds upon an existing theme of work led by Dr’s Farina, Tabet and Griffiths. 

The project provides a wide range of training that includes quantitative, qualitative and review methodology. The project, will also provide an opportunity to work with both young people and people living with dementia. This should provide the successful candidate with critical skills and substantial experience to make them a highly competitive candidate for a postdoctoral research position within applied health research, particularly in the field of dementia.

Funding Notes

Applicants for this 3-year PhD should possess or expect to be awarded a minimum of a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (or equivalent) in psychology, health sciences, public health, or related subject. Both UK/EU and non-EU citizens can apply. Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Nicolas Farina (n.farina@bsms.ac.uk). Please contact the Brighton and Sussex Medical School Doctoral and Research Officer (researchdegrees@bsms.ac.uk), with any other queries.

References

1. Alzheimer’s Disease International. World Alzheimer Report 2019 : Attitudes to dementia. Read the report here. Published April 10, 2019. Accessed June 17, 2019. 
2. Cheng TY-M, Liu L, Woo BK. Analyzing Twitter as a Platform for Alzheimer-Related Dementia Awareness: Thematic Analyses of Tweets. JMIR Aging. 2018;1(2):e11542. doi:10.2196/11542 
3. Farina N, Hughes LJ, Griffiths AW, Parveen S. Adolescents’ experiences and perceptions of dementia. Aging Ment Health. 2019;0(0):1-7. doi:10.1080/13607863.2019.1613343 
4. Farina N. What is taught about dementia in secondary schools? A survey of schools in Sussex, England (Innovative Practice). Dementia. July 2017:1471301217720016. doi:10.1177/1471301217720016 
5. Isaac MG, Isaac MM, Farina N, Tabet N. Knowledge and attitudes towards dementia in adolescent students. J Ment Health. 2017;26(5):419–425. 
6. Parveen S, Farina N, Shafiq S, Hughes LJ, Griffiths AW. What do adolescents perceive to be key features of an effective dementia education and awareness initiative? Dement Int J Soc Res Pract. 2019.