Laura Parkes

Overview

I conduct research in the field of Neuroimaging.

Biography

With a background in both physics (MPhys Oxford, 1997) and neuroscience (MSc, UCL 1999) my research is focussed on developing novel methodology to study brain function. Following a PhD on quantitative measurements of cerebral blood flow (UCL, 2002), I moved to the Netherlands to complete postdoctoral research using fMRI and MEG. In 2005 I returned to the UK, first to the University of Liverpool and now as a lecturer at Manchester University. One principle area of reseach concerns mechanisms of brain plasticity following a New Investigators Award from the Medical Research Council in 2006. I continue to study the cerebrovascular system, and have developed quantitative measurements of cerebral blood flow and oxygen metabolism in response to neural activation. Applications in ageing and cerebral small vessel disease are ongoing, with an aim to understand mechanisms of cognitive decline and dementia.