Research topic: Affective disorders, such as bipolar disorders, are associated with changes in both brain structure and cognitive function. In our research group, we have used MRI to obtain images from a large group of patients with affective disorders and healthy controls in order to map gray and white matter changes and abnormal neural responses during cognitive tasks.
What you will work with: The research project will involve visual assessment of the quality of structural and functional MRI brain scans of patients and healthy control participants. The project may further involve contribution to the statistical analysis of the imaging data, exploration into recent neuroimaging literature, and aid in the writing of a scientific publication. Ability/willingness to work independently is required.
Research Assistantship Hours: You will spend 180 hours directly engaged in research, together with an additional 5 hours in professional workshops and co-curricular activities, during your RAship.
Relevant publications:
- Macoveanu J, et al (2023). Early longitudinal changes in brain structure and cognitive functioning in remitted patients with recently diagnosed bipolar disorder. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.026. PMID: 37442440
- Macoveanu J, et al (2023). Associations between aberrant working memory-related neural activity and cognitive impairments in somatically healthy, remitted patients with mood disorders. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291723000715 PMID: 37051904
- Macoveanu J, et al (2021). Hippocampal subfield morphology in monozygotic twins discordant for affective disorders. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-020-0756-2 PMID: 32620004
Related Discipline(s)
This course would also be of interest to the following discipline(s):Psychology
