How does cardiovascular disease affect the brain? And what can be done about it?
My innovations in MRI technology could make this non-invasive tool an even stronger method of measuring and understanding brain health.
My research explores how the brain is affected by cardiovascular disease through innovative techniques in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The World Health Organization estimates that one third of deaths in high-income countries are due to chronic vascular diseases, when arteries throughout the body stiffen. This is thought to extend to the brain, resulting in damage to all types of brain cells and even leading to other neurological and neurovascular diseases such as stroke and dementia.
By developing new methods in MRI technology, my research is harnessing this non-invasive tool as a way to measure and better understand the complex causes of cardiovascular diseases. What we learn about the connections between cardiovascular disease and brain health could mean breakthroughs in prevention and treatment.
My name is Claudine Gauthier and I am an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and a School of Health researcher.
