This project investigates how structural and functional brain disconnections following stroke contribute to the development of psychiatric complications, including depression, anxiety, fatigue, apathy, and dementia. While traditional lesion-mapping approaches focus on the location of visible brain damage, this study goes beyond lesion sites to examine how stroke disrupts distributed brain networks.
Using advanced "disconnectome" mapping techniques, we model how lesions affect white matter pathways and functional connectivity across the brain. By integrating large-scale stroke datasets from the STROKOG consortium with normative neuroimaging data from the UK Biobank, the project aims to identify characteristic patterns of brain disconnection associated with psychiatric symptoms and recovery trajectories.
The ultimate goal is to improve prediction of post-stroke psychiatric outcomes and inform early, targeted interventions for individuals at highest risk.