Dr Clare Howarth
School of Psychology
Senior Lecturer
+44 114 222 6511
Full contact details
School of Psychology
Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences (ICOSS)
219 Portobello
Sheffield
S1 4DP
- Profile
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In 2003 I graduated from Imperial College London with an MSci (hons) in Physics with a year in Europe. I then pursued a PhD in Neuroscience with Prof. David Attwell at University College London, where I studied Brain Energy Supply and Use. During my PhD we demonstrated, for the first time, pericyte regulation of blood flow at the capillary level and produced a novel model of energy use within the cerebellum.
After my PhD, I was awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship to work with Prof. Brian MacVicar (University of British Columbia, Canada) and Prof. Nicola Sibson (University of Oxford). Using a variety of optical imaging techniques, we demonstrated a role for astrocytes in the regulation of brain blood flow to CO2.
In 2013 I was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Advanced Fellowship and I moved to Sheffield to establish my own research group within the Neurovascular and Neuroimaging Research Group. In 2015 I was awarded a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship (funded by the Wellcome Trust and Royal Society). My research group uses a multimodal imaging approach to investigate how blood flow in the brain is controlled. We are particularly interested in which cells regulate brain blood flow and whether this regulation becomes dysfunctional in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Qualifications
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- MSci (Hons) Physics with a year in Europe (Imperial College London)
- PhD Neuroscience (University of London: University College London)
- Research interests
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The brain is an energetically expensive organ, with only limited energy reserves. In order to maintain normal brain function, it is essential that increases in neuronal activity are matched with local increases in blood flow, which supplies the extra oxygen and glucose needed by the neurons. In addition to being essential for normal brain function, this increase in blood flow and oxygenation underlies commonly used functional neuroimaging signals e.g. BOLD fMRI. The cellular mechanisms responsible for this local increase in blood flow are still incompletely understood. By combining several imaging techniques (including 2 photon microscopy, 2D-OIS and MRI) with electrophysiology and optogenetic approaches, we are investigating the involvement of glial cells (astrocytes) and inhibitory interneurons in the regulation of brain blood flow. This research will inform our understanding of how the healthy brain functions and will also help us to understand what BOLD fMRI can (and can’t) tell us about neural activity.
There is increasing evidence that brain blood flow is altered in aging and in diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. We are examining when, and how, neurovascular coupling is altered, and what the impact of these changes could be. This research will not only increase our understanding of such diseases but may offer us novel therapeutic targets to pursue.
Current research interests include:
• Investigating vascular-based therapeutic targets to alter disease progression in mouse models of dementia
• Cellular mechanisms of neurovascular coupling in health and aging
• Neurovascular coupling in Alzheimer’s disease
• Neurovascular function in mouse models of multimorbidity (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease and atherosclerosis)
• Neurovascular coupling in a zebrafish model of hyperglycemia
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- The effects of locomotion on sensory-evoked haemodynamic responses in the cortex of awake mice. Scientific Reports, 12. View this article in WRRO
- Assessment of neurovascular coupling and cortical spreading depression in mixed mouse models of atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. eLife, 2022(11). View this article in WRRO
- More than just summed neuronal activity : how multiple cell types shape the BOLD response. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 376(1815). View this article in WRRO
- Enhanced cerebral blood volume under normobaric hyperoxia in the J20-hAPP mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientific Reports, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
- Key Aspects of Neurovascular Control Mediated by Specific Populations of Inhibitory Cortical Interneurons. Cerebral Cortex, 30(4), 2452-2464. View this article in WRRO
- Neurovascular coupling preserved in a chronic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease: Methodology is critical.. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. View this article in WRRO
- Sodium nitroprusside prevents the detrimental effects of glucose on the neurovascular unit and behaviour in zebrafish. DMM Disease Models and Mechanisms, 12(9). View this article in WRRO
- The effect of hyperglycemia on neurovascular coupling and cerebrovascular patterning in zebrafish. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. View this article in WRRO
- A Critical Role for Astrocytes in Hypercapnic Vasodilation in Brain. Journal of Neuroscience, 37(9), 2403-2414. View this article in WRRO
- Interpreting BOLD: towards a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience. Philosophical Transactions B, 371(1705). View this article in WRRO
- Neurovascular and neuroimaging effects of the hallucinogenic serotonin receptor agonist psilocin in the rat brain. Neuropharmacology, 99, 210-220. View this article in WRRO
- Systemic inflammation alters central 5-HT function as determined by pharmacological MRI. Neuroimage, 75C, 185-194.
- Updated energy budgets for neural computation in the neocortex and cerebellum. JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM, 32(7), 1222-1232.
- Oxidative Phosphorylation, Not Glycolysis, Powers Presynaptic and Postsynaptic Mechanisms Underlying Brain Information Processing. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 32(26), 8940-8951.
- The energy use associated with neural computation in the cerebellum. JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM, 30(2), 403-414.
- The cortical energy needed for conscious perception. NEUROIMAGE, 40(4), 1460-1468.
- Bidirectional control of CNS capillary diameter by pericytes. NATURE, 443(7112), 700-704.
All publications
Journal articles
- The reversal characteristics of GABAergic neurons: a neurovascular model. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 145(3).
- How does alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis and comorbid alzheimer’s disease and atherosclerosis impact neurovascular function?. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 18(S6).
- The effects of locomotion on sensory-evoked haemodynamic responses in the cortex of awake mice. Scientific Reports, 12. View this article in WRRO
- Assessment of neurovascular coupling and cortical spreading depression in mixed mouse models of atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. eLife, 2022(11). View this article in WRRO
- More than just summed neuronal activity : how multiple cell types shape the BOLD response. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 376(1815). View this article in WRRO
- Investigating the effects of tDCS on visual orientation discrimination task performance: “the possible influence of placebo”. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 4, 235-249. View this article in WRRO
- Enhanced cerebral blood volume under normobaric hyperoxia in the J20-hAPP mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientific Reports, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
- Key Aspects of Neurovascular Control Mediated by Specific Populations of Inhibitory Cortical Interneurons. Cerebral Cortex, 30(4), 2452-2464. View this article in WRRO
- Neurovascular coupling preserved in a chronic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease: Methodology is critical.. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. View this article in WRRO
- Sodium nitroprusside prevents the detrimental effects of glucose on the neurovascular unit and behaviour in zebrafish. DMM Disease Models and Mechanisms, 12(9). View this article in WRRO
- The effect of hyperglycemia on neurovascular coupling and cerebrovascular patterning in zebrafish. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. View this article in WRRO
- Erratum: Howarth et al., “A Critical Role for Astrocytes in Hypercapnic Vasodilation in Brain”. The Journal of Neuroscience, 37(18), 4860-4860.
- A Critical Role for Astrocytes in Hypercapnic Vasodilation in Brain. Journal of Neuroscience, 37(9), 2403-2414. View this article in WRRO
- Interpreting BOLD: towards a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience. Philosophical Transactions B, 371(1705). View this article in WRRO
- Editorial: “Neural signal estimation in the human brain”. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 10, 185-185. View this article in WRRO
- Neurovascular and neuroimaging effects of the hallucinogenic serotonin receptor agonist psilocin in the rat brain. Neuropharmacology, 99, 210-220. View this article in WRRO
- Corrigendum to "Systemic inflammation alters central 5-HT function as determined by pharmacological MRI" [Neuroimage 75 (2013) 177-186]. NeuroImage, 94, 413.
- The contribution of astrocytes to the regulation of cerebral blood flow.. Front Neurosci, 8, 103. View this article in WRRO
- The role of astrocytes in CNS tumors: pre-clinical models and novel imaging approaches. FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE, 7. View this article in WRRO
- Systemic inflammation alters central 5-HT function as determined by pharmacological MRI. Neuroimage, 75C, 185-194.
- Updated energy budgets for neural computation in the neocortex and cerebellum. JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM, 32(7), 1222-1232.
- Oxidative Phosphorylation, Not Glycolysis, Powers Presynaptic and Postsynaptic Mechanisms Underlying Brain Information Processing. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 32(26), 8940-8951.
- Bidirectional control of arteriole diameter by astrocytes. Experimental Physiology(96), 393-399.
- The energy use associated with neural computation in the cerebellum. JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM, 30(2), 403-414.
- The micro-architecture of the cerebral cortex: Functional neuroimaging models and metabolism. NEUROIMAGE, 40(4), 1436-1459.
- The cortical energy needed for conscious perception. NEUROIMAGE, 40(4), 1460-1468.
- Transports of delight. NEURON, 52(2), 224-225.
- Bidirectional control of CNS capillary diameter by pericytes. NATURE, 443(7112), 700-704.
- Improvement of image quality of T1-weighted anatomical brain scans. Neuroimage(29), 930-937.
- Contrast-enhanced magic angle MR imaging of the Achilles Tendon. American Journal of Roentgenology(179), 187-192.
- Bidirectional alterations in brain temperature profoundly modulate spatiotemporal neurovascular responses in-vivo. Communications Biology.
- Assessment of Neurovascular Coupling & Cortical Spreading Depression in Mixed Models of Atherosclerosis & Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Neurovascular Function in a Novel Model of Experimental Atherosclerosis.
- Neurovascular coupling preserved in a chronic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease: Methodology is critical.
- Key relationships between non-invasive functional neuroimaging and the underlying neuronal activity. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences.
Chapters
- Bidirectional Control of Blood Flow by Astrocytes: A Role for Tissue Oxygen and Other Metabolic Factors In Roach RC, Hackett PH & Wagner PD (Ed.), Hypoxia (pp. 209-219). Springer US
- Astrocyte regulation of neurovascular control In Kettenmann & Ransom (Ed.), Neuroglia
Conference proceedings papers
- Investigating the involvement of nitric oxide in neurovascular coupling. JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM, Vol. 42(1_SUPPL) (pp 60-60)
- Pericytes in disease. JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM, Vol. 42(1_SUPPL) (pp 277-277)
- The contribution of specific inhibitory cortical interneurons to neurovascular coupling. JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM, Vol. 39 (pp 19-19)
- ASTROCYTES CONTRIBUTE TO THE CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA. JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM, Vol. 36 (pp 528-529)
- 179 Neurovascular Function in Atherosclerosis. Heart, Vol. 102(Suppl 6) (pp A123.2-A124), 6 June 2016 - 8 June 2016.
- Pericyte regulation of capillary diameter in rat retina. FASEB JOURNAL, Vol. 19(4) (pp A716-A716)
Preprints
- Characterizing vascular function in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and mixed Alzheimer’s and atherosclerosis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Voluntary locomotion induces an early and remote hemodynamic decrease in the large cerebral veins, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Nitric oxide is not responsible for the initial sensory-induced neurovascular coupling response in mouse cortex, bioRxiv.
- Bidirectional alterations in brain temperature profoundly modulate spatiotemporal neurovascular responses in-vivo: Implications for theragnostics, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- The effects of locomotion on sensory-evoked haemodynamic responses in the cortex of awake mice, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Enhanced Cerebral Blood Volume under Normobaric Hyperoxia in the J20-hAPP Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Sodium nitroprusside prevents the detrimental effects of glucose on the neurovascular unit and behaviour in zebrafish.
- The effects of locomotion on sensory-evoked haemodynamic responses in the cortex of awake mice. Scientific Reports, 12. View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Neuroscience and Cognition
Research Group members:
- Dave Drew (Technician)
Postdoctoral Staff:- Dr Osman Shabir
- Dr Bethany Eyre
- Llywelyn Lee
Postgraduate students:- Naomi King
- Marilina Douloudi
- Shannon O'Connor
- Dirk Goldschmitt
- Runchong Wang
- Rahul Sidhu
- Alicia Halliday
- Grants
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- 2023-2026 MRC project grant: Massaging brain vessels with vasomotion: Targeting the vasculature to alter disease progression in mouse models of dementia (with Dr Jason Berwick, Dr Chris Martin and Dr Julie Simpson)
- 2020-2023 British Heart Foundation project grant: Atherosclerosis, the brain and vascular dementia – the role of inflammation in neurovascular function (with Professor Sheila Francis (PI), Dr Jason Berwick, Professor Stuart Allan and Dr Emmanuel Pinteaux)
- 2015-2022 Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowship
- 2016-2019 NC3Rs project grant: Developing a zebrafish model of neurovascular coupling (with Professor Tim Chico, Dr Vincent Cunliffe, Dr Robert Wilkinson, Professor Oliver Bandmann)
- Teaching activities
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Research Project Supervision
- MSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Human Neuroimaging
- MSc Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience
- MSc Systems Neuroscience
Undergraduate teaching
- PSY346: Psychology Dissertation Research Project
- PSY331: Extended Essay in Psychology
Postgraduate teaching
- PSY6122: Current Issues in Psychological Research - Module Organiser
- PSY6315: Systems Neuroscience
- Professional activities and memberships
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Within the Department:
- Director of Postgraduate Research
- Research Cluster Deputy Lead (Cognitive and Neural Processes Across the Lifespan)
External:- “Interpreting BOLD” conference organiser and founder (with Dr Catherine Hall, University of Sussex and Dr Anusha Mishra, Oregon Health & Science University)
- Board of Directors: International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow & metabolism (ISCBFM)
- MRC Neurosciences and Mental Health Board Member
- PhD Opportunities
I am happy to receive applications for PhD study in my area of research.
We advertise PhD opportunities (Funded or Self-Funded) on FindAPhD.com
See PhD studentship opportunities with Clare Howarth
For further information, please see the department PhD Opportunities page.