Optimising transcranial electrical stimulation for motor neurone disease

Details

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a fatal condition that causes muscle weakness. It is now well known that the brain becomes hyperexcitable well before symptoms start in MND, and that is important in driving the disease progression. Suppressing hyperexcitability of the motor cortex is, therefore, an attractive therapeutic target. The project will utilise state-of-the-art non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation. Working with patients and our multi-disciplinary team, the student will develop novel non-invasive brain stimulation paradigms to reduce and measure cortical hyperexcitability in patients with MND. The project will play a pivotal role in developing the rapidly developing area of non-invasive brain stimulation as a therapeutic for this devastating condition. 

Interviews are likely to be held between 4 – 15 March. Students must be able to start by October 2024.

Applications are open to students from both the UK and overseas. We anticipate competition for these studentships to be very intense. We would expect applicants to have an excellent undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. We would also expect applicants to have completed or be undertaking a relevant master’s degree to a similar very high standard (or have equivalent research experience).

Please ensure you pick the Department/Division of Neuroscience when filling in your application form, regardless of where your first supervisor sits.