- Vacancy Reference Number
- BRIC-PHD-070624
- Closing Date
- 7 Jun 2024
- Salary
- £18,110
- Address
- Brain Research & Imaging Centre
University of Plymouth
Plymouth Science Park
Research Way
Plymouth
PL6 8BU
- Duration
- 3 years
Applications are invited for a fully funded 3-year PhD studentship to study the effects of altered gas and pressure on the human brain. The studentship will start on 1 October 2024.
This collaborative project is based at the University of Plymouth’s Brain Research & Imaging Centre (BRIC) and the hyperbaric medicine research charity DDRC; which are uniquely co-located.
Project Description
While hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is widely applied to treat a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders in countries around the world, the evidence threshold for implementation in the UK (NHS) has not yet been established. Moreover, the lack of a mechanistic understanding of the effects of altered oxygen concentration and pressure on the human brain limits the implementation and optimization of treatment protocols.
Building upon the findings of our recent studies, this PhD will systematically test the hypothesis that broad improvements in cognitive and behavioural performance are the result of an increase in neuroplasticity driven by oxygen and pressure related neural change. The project will exploit the multimodal neuroimaging, brain stimulation, cognitive and behavioural assessment capability at BRIC to investigate the structural, functional, and pharmacological effects of hyperbaric, hypobaric, and altered gas environments available at DDRC.
The PhD will provide an opportunity to develop and apply a range of skills in neuroimaging (e.g. fMRI, DTI, MRS), brain stimulation (e.g. TMS, FUS), electrophysiology (EEG) methods, alongside neurocognitive and physiological techniques. To address questions of how neural markers such as oscillations, cortical excitability, functional connectivity, and neurochemistry respond to altered oxygen and pressure.
Further Information
The studentship will be completed under the supervision of an interdisciplinary team:
Director of Studies: Professor Stephen Hall
2nd Supervisor: Professor Gary Smerdon
3rd Supervisor: Dr Elsa Fouragnan
4th Supervisor: Dr Helen McKenna
Contact Details
Further details can be found and applications submitted via the University of Plymouth application pages:
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/postgraduate-research-studentships/the-mechanisms-of-pressure-and-gas-mediated-neuroplasticity-in-the-human-brain
For further details please contact Professor Hall (Stephen.d.hall@plymouth.ac.uk)
