Collaborating institution: Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chang-Gung University (Taiwan) About the projectCognitive decline is a natural and inevitable process, part and key feature of the normal process of ageing. Emerging evidence from human MRI imaging studies indicates that mild impairment in memory is specifically related to reduction in hippocampal volume. The hippocampus is a key brain area involved in representing the environment, forming episodic memory, and many other cognitive functions, which is vulnerable to the ageing process and other brain conditions. But other brain structures, not well-known up to date for intervening in ageing processes, may also play a part in the cognitive functions that are primarily affected by normal ageing processes. More importantly, it has been proposed that connections between brain regions are very sensitive in pointing to earlier signs of cognitive decline and predicting future cognitive abilities before brain pathological symptoms emerge. This project is part of a multidisciplinary project that joins brain scientists from UK and psychologists and imaging experts in Taiwan to study this topic.Specifically our role within this multidisciplinary international collaboration is to integrate, refine, apply and evaluate methods to process human MRI scans in different neurodegenerative pathologies including different types of dementia and Huntington’s disease. Collaborating insitutionsProfessor Jiun-Jie WangDr Maria Valdes-HernandezAffiliated institutionDepartment of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chang-Gung University (Taiwan)Affiliated institutions at The University of Edinburgh (UK)Row Fogo Centre for Research into Ageing and the BrainEdinburgh ImagingCentre for Clinical Brain SciencesEmail address: jwang@mail.cgu.edu.twEmail address: M.Valdes-Hernan@ed.ac.uk Awarded grantsThis project received funds from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) through the International Partnership Award BB/P025315/1” PublicationsOh Sher Li, Chen Chiung-Mei, Wu Yih-Ru, Valdes Hernandez Maria, Tsai Chih-Chien, Cheng Jur-Shan, Chen Yao-Liang, Wu Yi-Ming, Lin Yu-Chun, Wang Jiun-Jie (2021). Fixel-Based Analysis Effectively Identifies White Matter Tract Degeneration in Huntington’s Disease. Frontiers in Neuroscience, vol. 15, p. 1191Publication link - Frontiers in Neurosicence (external link) Image Key contactPlease, get in touch with Dr Maria Valdes-Hernandez for more information about this project and further collaboration. M.Valdes-Hernan@ed.ac.ukDr Maria Valdes-Hernandez research profile This article was published on 2024-08-27
