0+4 Student
I graduated from King’s with a BSc in Neuroscience and an MSc in Neuroimaging. My Master’s project focused in identifying potential preclinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) biomarkers of Neuro-inflammation. My interest in migraine however emerged from my undergraduate project in which I investigated the pathophysiological correlation among Migraine and Sleep Disorders. Given the extent of current imaging data from migrainous patients, this encouraged me to combine emerging preclinical MR techniques with novel pharmaco-genetic approaches in an animal models of migraine, in order to further understand the underlying disrupted networks.
The aim of my project is to study the neural mechanisms underlying the ‘Premonitory symptoms’ of migraine. These are a set of sensory symptoms such as; abnormal fatigue, photophobia (light aversion), loss of appetite and yawing, which can occur 2-3 days prior to the headache attack. We hypothesize that a disruption in hypothalamic networks that regulate CNS homeostasis (i.e. sleep, appetite), might represent a central primary mechanism for migraine initiation.
What I found really encouraging about the DTP is the strong emphasis in facilitating translational research, and the opportunity to start building collaborations with other research groups. This first year of PhD has exposed me to a wide range of interdisciplinary scientific skills and allowed me to train alongside experts in various disciplines.
Conferences:
Presented in the Headache Symposia of the Danish Headache Society, April 6th 2018.