• mechanisms, prevention and treatment of cerebral small vessel disease, a common cause of stroke and dementia.
• MRI methods for assessing blood-brain barrier function, cerebral microvascular reactivity, structural integrity of the brain
• multimodal image analyses methods to assess and quantify brain structure and function.
• diagnosis, treatment and prevention of acute ischaemic stroke
• cost effective use of imaging in stroke diagnosis, prevention and treatment
• randomised clinical trials, translational studies, observational studies, meta-analyses
• lifecourse effects on the brain, ageing, stroke and dementia.

My major interests are the pathophysiology, prevention and treatment of brain vascular disease, which I have researched since the 1990s. My first trial of thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke was testing intra-arterial thrombolysis in 1990-92; and most recent was the 3000+ Third International Stroke Trial (IST-3); throughout this time I maintained the Cochrane Review of Thrombolysis in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

My recent interest is cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) mechanisms, clinical and imaging presentations, standards for assessment of imaging in SVD and I have established a worldwide network of research collaborators. I am now running trials of interventions to prevent progression of the clinical and cognitive consequences of SVD (LACI-1, LACI-2, LACI-3). I have published many papers on the topic and received several awards for my work.

I have worked constantly to improve facilities for imaging research, first with the Brain Research Imaging Centre, Edinburgh, 1997 - ; then the Scottish Imaging Network, A Platform for Scientific Excellence (SINAPSE), 2007 - ; and most recently further installations of research scanners including 3T MR scanner in the main SE Scotland acute hospital, the Brain Research Imaging Centre 2. Coupled with these developments has been a large expansion of multidisciplinary imaging expertise at all levels.

Training is provided through the online learning MScs in Imaging and Neuroimaging for Research, training days, downloadable instructions and analysis software.

The imaging research facilties are managed collectively through Edinburgh Imaging.

I work for the University of Edinburgh and the NHS Lothian. I am an expert in brain blood vessel diseases. My research focuses on preventing, diagnosing, treating and finding out more about the causes of cerebral small vessel disease, stroke and vascular dementia. My research mainly uses different types of brain scanning in people to answer these questions. My previous research led to clot-busting treatments for stroke and better scanning for patients to diagnose the cause of a TIA or stroke, that are now used in guidelines all over the World. Now, I research the causes of, and try to find better treatment for, a very common disease of the tiny blood vessels in the brain, called 'small vessel disease'. This can build up gradually, and can cause small strokes, decline in thinking and memory, problems with mobility, balance and mood, that seriously affect people, their quality of life and independence. My research is already in guidelines on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of small vessel disease and I hope that our current clinical trials will soon give better treatments for many patients around the World. My research is funded by many large UK and international grant-giving organisations and enhanced by many national and international medical and scientific collaborations.