Harvey Walsh has recently arrived from the UK to join the Department of Physiology to undertake his doctoral studies, supervised by Associate Professor James Fisher and co-supervised by Dr Catherine Morgan and Associate Professor David Dubowitz. His thesis entitled ‘Assessing Brain Blood Vessel Function in Atrial Fibrillation Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging’. He will work closely between the Department of Physiology and the Centre for Advanced MRI and is funded by a generous Marsden grant.
Harvey is a University of Birmingham alumnus, graduating with an honours degree in biomedical science and a masters degree in Brain Imaging & Cognitive Neuroscience in 2020. His masters thesis investigated structural predictors for responses to transcranial direct current stimulation using diffusion tensor imaging.
Harvey’s doctoral studies aim to elucidate the mechanisms underpinning cerebrovascular dysfunction in atrial fibrillation patients. This patient population has an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment disorders, such as dementia. He will use Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) and Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL) techniques to assess neurovascular coupling and cerebrovascular reactivity. His research will include both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies investigating differences in cerebrovascular function between healthy controls and atrial fibrillation patients, and the effects of therapeutic intervention on cerebrovascular function in atrial fibrillation patients. This will include sinus rhythm restoration via cardioversion or ablation. Long-term, this research aims to inform therapeutic strategies that can be used to reduce the effects of atrial fibrillation on the brain.