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Research Interests

FMRI of respiratory control

Disorders of respiratory control are implicated in a wide spectrum of disease including: chronic obstructive airways disease, asthma, neurodegenerative diseases, sleep apnoea and sudden infant death syndrome. In particular, chronic obstructive airways disease causes distressing shortness of breath, and is one of the major debilitating diseases in the world. Drugs used for pain relief, such as morphine, have potentially fatal side effects due to their effects upon respiratory centres in the brain. My research centres upon investigating mechanisms of respiratory control, and the processes underlying breathlessness, using non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

Imaging brain perfusion changes following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage

Delayed cerebral ischaemia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality following subarachnoid haemorrhage. Successful targeted treatment requires an accurate, non-invasive, and reproducible measure of cerebral perfusion. Current techniques are limited in their clinical application as they only image larger arteries and require the use of contrast agents and/or ionising radiation. We are trialing novel magnetic resonance imaging techniques that do not require exogenous contrast agents that demonstrate quantitative measures of cerebral perfusion at the tissue level. This would potentially facilitate the early and targeted use of vasospasm therapies and so reduce long-term morbidity and mortality.