Eilidh MacNicol

Pathway 0+4

Cohort 2016

Pathway Journey

Characterising structural and functional brain changes associated with healthy ageing using longitudinal MRI in rats.

Biography

My PhD research as part of the MRC DTP used MRI to identify changes in brain networks related to healthy ageing. During this time, I realised my enthusiasm for solving data analysis problems and developing resources for image processing and analysis. In particular, I am interested in extending processing tools designed for human data to be species agnostic, and supporting open science and reproducibility in the preclinical MRI community. I continue to apply network-based analysis methods to MRI data, as I learned during my time in the DTP, with the aim of modelling brain changes over time.

Publications

MacNicol E, Wright P, Kim E, Brusini I, Esteban O, Simmons C, Turkheimer FE, Cash D. Age-specific adult rat brain MRI templates and tissue probability maps. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics. 2021;15.

Brusini I, MacNicol E, Kim E, Smedby Ö, Wang C, Westman E, Veronese M, Turkheimer F, Cash D. MRI-derived brain age as a biomarker of ageing in rats: validation using a healthy lifestyle intervention. Neurobiology of Aging. 2022 Jan 1;109:204-15.

Wood TC, Cash D, MacNicol E Simmons C, Kim E, Lythgoe DJ, Zelaya F, Turkheimer F. Non-Invasive measurement of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen using MRI in rodents [version 4; peer review: 2 approved]. Wellcome Open Res 2022, 6:109

Awards

Exceptional Training Opportunity at Stanford University (2020) – £4989, MRC Flexible Supplement
Best Verbal Poster Presentation (2017) – 1st annual KCL MRC DTP symposium

Conferences

MacNicol E, Ciric R, Kim E, Di Censo D, Cash D, Poldrack RA, Esteban O. Atlas-based brain extraction is robust across rat MRI studies. In 2021 IEEE 18th International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) 2021 Apr 13 (pp. 312-315). IEEE.

MacNicol E, Randall K, Kim E, Simmons C, Turkheimer F, Cash D. Longitudinal default mode network and brain perfusion changes in a rat model of healthy ageing. In Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism 2022 Jun 1 (Vol. 42, No. 1_ SUPPL, pp. 205-205). SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC.

Kim E, MacNicol E, Cash D. Functional homology and transcriptomic similarity between human and mouse brains. In Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism 2022 Jun 1 (Vol. 42, No. 1_ SUPPL, pp. 181-182). SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC.

Singh N, MacNicol E, DiPasquale O, Randall K, Lythgoe D, Mazibuko N, Simmons C, Selvaggi P, Stephenson S, Turkheimer F, Cash D. The effects of acute Methylene Blue administration on perfusion and metabolism in humans and rats. In Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism 2022 Jun 1 (Vol. 42, No. 1_ SUPPL, pp. 241-242). SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC.

Social Media

Website: eilidhmacnicol.github.io

Twitter: @eilidhmacnicol