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Individuals suffering from ischemic brain injury want to know what to expect with regard to recovery and regaining function. Dr. Alex Bhogal, a researcher at the UMCU’s ultra-high field imaging group, is interested in how the combined role of cerebral blood flow and brain metabolites might contribute to this prediction. Recently, he received a Veni grant to fund his research on the characterization of the viability of brain tissue following ischemic brain injury.

Alex’s PhD focused on imaging the health status of the brain blood vessels. Healthy vessels dilate in response to CO2, which allows the brain to maintain a constant blood flow, necessary for its tissue survival. Alex: “This technique gives information about brain areas at risk, because they can’t regulate blood flow anymore”. 

During his postdoc, Alex explored techniques for spatial mapping of such brain metabolites via spectroscopic imaging. Differences in brain chemicals such as glutamate are thought to cause various psychiatric disorders. Using this imaging technique, Alex was able to compare the distribution of glutamate levels in the brains of psychotic people to those of healthy people.

 It seemed interesting and innovative to Alex to combine these two techniques, i.e. vessel health and changes in brain metabolite concentrations, towards making a prediction of the viability of brain tissue suffering from ischemic brain injury. In order to carry out this research he applied for a Veni. A Veni is a grant that enables researchers that recently obtained their doctorate to start their own independent research for a period of three years. Alex proudly received the Veni this year.

He will use his grant to develop a computer model that hopefully provides insights into ischemic brain injury and predicts brain damage based on changes in blood flow and metabolic parameters. To gather physiological data for this model, Alex will take various vascular and metabolic measurements in volunteers. Alex: “In healthy subjects, we simulate conditions of ischemic brain injury by manipulating the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolved in the blood”.

As long as I can keep my curiosity alive, I know that I am in the right place to be. I hope that what I am doing is going to make a difference in the end.

Alex is looking forward to start working on his own idea. He says: “It is a good way to trigger my passion and curiosity. As long as I can keep my curiosity alive, I know that I am in the right place to be’’. For the upcoming three years, Alex will work on his research and see if his ideas become reality. Alex: “I hope that what I am doing is going to make a difference in the end”.