Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to adapt an existing group psychological support course to make it suitable for stroke.

This research aims to find out more about how thinking and mood are affected long-term after stroke, and the impact it has on people’s lives.

Anxiety and depression are common after a stroke. Mindfulness is becoming an increasingly popular way for people to manage their psychological health. This study aims to refine and test a mindfulness course specifically designed for people affected by stroke.

Torpor is a natural state of reduced energy use and body temperature. This research will look at the effect of torpor on brain activity and function, and the amount of brain damage caused by ischaemic stroke.

Stroke survivors and healthcare professionals have identified psychological and cognitive (thinking and mood) problems after stroke as someof the most important areas where more research is needed. This Lectureship will investigate how common these issues are after stroke, how they change over time, and how these changes can be predicted.

Most stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) survivors are asked to take medicines, which some can find difficult. However, taking the medicines prescribed after a stroke, or TIA, and following lifestyle advice can reduce the chance of another stroke by 80%. Unfortunately, over 25% of stroke survivors do not continue these medicines, even for the first year after their stroke. Another 20% take less than is needed for the medicines to work.This research will use the views of stroke and TIA survivors to design a life-long medicines support service which could be provided by pharmacists.

Currently, a drug called alteplase is used in thrombolysis, but the researchers think that another drug, called tenecteplase, may be more effective than alteplase.

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) causes 1 in 5 strokes. People who have SVD also commonly have apathy - a loss of interest and initiative. In this project, Professor Hugh Markus brings together a multidisciplinary team to better understand what is happening in the brains of people with SVD who are experiencing apathy, and how it could be treated.

This study will investigate whether reducing blood pressure can stop bleeding in the brain after thrombolysis (a clot-busting treatment for stroke) and improve patient's outcomes.

This project aims to demonstrate that failure of drainage of fluid from the grey and white matter of the brain is a mechanism underlying Small Vessel Disease, a condition that affects the small blood vessels in the brain which can cause stroke and dementia.