Neuroscience projects

How does a high-calorie diet intervention change what people with ALS eat? A dietary analysis of the OptiCALS randomised trial

How does the OptiCALS nutritional intervention change what people with ALS eat over 12 months compared with standard care (energy, protein, macronutrient composition, food sources and eating patterns), and are these dietary changes associated with functional decline, weight change and other clinical outcomes?

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Supervisors

Dr Haris Stavroulakis (t.stavroulakis@sheffield.ac.uk)

Professor Chris McDermott (c.j.mcdermott@sheffield.ac.uk)

Abstract and methodology

People with ALS/MND often lose weight, and weight loss is linked to faster decline and shorter survival. OptiCALS is a major NIHR-funded UK randomised controlled trial testing whether a nutritional intervention to achieve an individualised high-calorie diet can slow functional decline.

This project offers a student the chance to join its analysis team. Participants in both arms recorded online food diaries over 12 months, alongside measures of function, weight and quality of life; the data are being cleaned and are expected to be ready by the start of the project. Using existing anonymised data, the student will compare the intervention and standard care arms to ask not only whether intake rose but how: energy, protein, macronutrient composition, food sources and eating patterns. They will then explore whether these changes, and how closely people met their calorie target, relate to functional decline (ALSFRS-R), weight change and gastrostomy. 

The analyses are exploratory, and the focus will be refined with the student and supervisors once the final dataset is known. The student will learn to clean and analyse longitudinal dietary data in SPSS, review the literature, and prepare findings for a dissertation and, where suitable, publication. No new data collection is needed.

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project - based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

The student will be trained in cleaning and handling longitudinal dietary data (including food diary outputs and nutrient databases), nutritional epidemiology concepts, and the clinical context of MND nutrition care. Statistical guidance will build on the SPSS taught on the course, with extra support for repeated-measures models if needed, plus training in literature searching. 

The student will attend meetings of the Better Outcomes for MND research group (established by Professor Chris McDermott), may shadow Professor McDermott’s clinic, and will be encouraged and supported to present at national and international conferences.

Ethics requirements

Secondary data or tissue samples - UREC or NHS REC ethics approval already received for the intended research project

Using automated cognitive assessments (CognoStroke) in clinical stroke environments

Can automated cognitive assessment be used to identify cognitive impairment in stroke survivors?

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Supervisors

Dr Simon Bell (s.m.bell@sheffield.ac.uk)

Professor Kirsty Harkness (k.a.harkness@sheffield.ac.uk) 

Abstract and methodology

CognoStroke is the latest in this family of digital tools, designed to assess cognitive function and behavior in individuals recovering from a stroke. It offers both short and long assessment options, tailored to meet the needs of patients at different stages of recovery—whether immediately after the stroke or later in their rehabilitation journey. This flexible approach ensures that healthcare providers can choose the most appropriate assessment to support ongoing recovery and care.

The student will work closely with the stroke research team and perform the CognoStroke assessment in different clinical settings. They will perform the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) and interview SS on their attitudes towards using automated cognitive assessment.

The student will contribute data towards research papers and conference publications. They will be expected to identify patients attitudes toward automated cognitive assessment and the best place to perform this.

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project - based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

• Good Clinical Practice course
• MOCA training course
• Large Language Model methods
• Artificial Intelligence methods

Ethics requirements

Original research involving human tissues/human participants and/or patient details and information - UREC or NHS REC ethics approval obtained already

Pilot randomised controlled trial of self-delivered transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) combined with digital cognitive training (BrainHQ) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

The combination of tVNS and high-intensity cognitive training is hypothesised to create a synergistic effect, where the tVNS-mediated release of neuromodulators enhances task-specific plasticity driven by the cognitive exercises. This pilot RCT aims to assess the safety, tolerability, and feasibility of this combined, self-administered intervention.

• Is the self-delivery of active transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) combined with digital cognitive training (BrainHQ) safe, tolerable, and feasible for use in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)?
• Does active tVNS combined with BrainHQ enhance cognitive function outcomes (memory, executive function) in people with MCI at 12 weeks and 6-month follow-up, compared to sham tVNS combined with BrainHQ?
• What are the neurophysiological and mechanistic correlates (f-NIRS, heart rate variability, inflammatory markers) associated with active tVNS combined with BrainHQ in people with MCI?

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Supervisors

Dr Ali Ali (ali.ali@sheffield.ac.uk)    

Professor Arshad Majid (arshad.majid@sheffield.ac.uk)

Abstract and methodology

The primary aims of this pilot RCT are to investigate whether self-delivered transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) combined with digital brain training (BrainHQ) is safe, tolerable, and feasible for use in people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Specifically, we will:

• Establish criteria for safety (monitoring adverse events and SAEs) and tolerability (assessing symptom severity via Likert scales)
• Evaluate feasibility metrics, including recruitment rate, participant adherence to the 12-week intervention schedule, and retention rate at the 6-month follow-up
• Explore signals of effect on clinical outcome measures, including global and domain-specific cognitive function, and functional outcomes
• Explore mechanistic effects, including changes in functional connectivity (f-NIRS) Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and inflammatory biomarker profiles, to inform the proposed mechanisms of action for future studies

Masters students will assist in participant recruitment and data collection. Activities include conducting screening and obtaining informed written consent, recording socio-demographic data, and administering clinical outcome measures such as the ACE III, AVLT, and FAQ. Students will receive training in complex techniques: measuring Heart Rate Variability (HRV) using the POLAR H10 monitor and operating the Lumo f-NIRS device for cortical activation assessments. They also manage weekly check-ins to monitor safety and tolerability using aphasia-friendly tools.

The VNS-COG pilot aims to establish the safety, tolerability, and feasibility of tVNS combined with BrainHQ in Mild Cognitive Impairment. Primary outcomes monitor Adverse Events and adherence metrics (e.g., recruitment rate and retention), and will be presented descriptively. Exploratory secondary outcomes will evaluate signals of effect on cognition (ACE III, AVLT) and mechanistic markers (HRV, f-NIRS). The Masters students role would include assisting with descriptive analysis of primary outcomes and conducting thematic analysis of qualitative interview data from participants and carers.

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project - based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

Training would be provided on the following in the run up to starting on the study:

• Obtaining Informed Written Consent and conducting eligibility checks.
• Administering outcome measure assessments, including cognitive batteries (ACE III, AVLT, STT, FAQ).
• Use of the Lumo f-NIRS device for cortical activation assessments and the POLAR H10 heart rate monitor for measuring Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
• Conducting weekly check-ins, including using aphasia-friendly symptom reporting sheets (with pictures and visual scales) to monitor safety and tolerability.
• Thematic analysis (and/or narrative review) for qualitative data obtained from participant/carer interviews.
• Demonstration/practice of using the tVNS device and the BrainHQ Computerised Cognitive Training (CCT).

Ethics requirements

Original research involving human tissues/human participants and/or patient details and information: UREC or NHS REC ethics approval needed

Identifying cognitive impairments in people with a spinal cord injury

Can we use automated cognitive assessment to identify cognitive impairment in spinal cord injury?

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Supervisors

Dr Simon Bell (s.m.bell@sheffield.ac.uk)    

Dr Dan Blackburn (d.blackburn@sheffield.ac.uk)

Abstract and methodology

Aims and objectives

• Determine the best method for identifying cognitive impairment in people with spinal cord injury
• Determine the views of people living with spinal cord injury and health care professionals that work with those with spinal cord injury preferences for automated or in person cognitive assessment
• Identify if a generic large language model can classify both cognitive and mood scores in spinal cord injury patients

Methodology

The student will conduct face to face interviews with patients with a spinal cord injury at The Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre at Northern General Hospital. They will then analyse findings to determine suitability of tools, cognitive domains affected, and consider the use of novel tools to screen for cognitive impairment.

There are currently no guidelines or national standards on screening tools for cognitive impairment in this group.

The results from this project may help to identify tools that can be used to detect cognitive impairment in this group; either through developing new tools or validating already established tools in other conditions, such as the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behaviour Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Screen (ECAS), which is designed assessing cognitive impairment in patients with ALS who may have limited hand motor function.

Type of project

Clinical or Surgical project - based in the clinical environment with patients/including service evaluation

Additional training or teaching

• Good Clinical Practice course
• MOCA training course

Ethics requirements

Original research involving human tissues/human participants and/or patient details and information: UREC or NHS REC ethics approval needed.

Integrating the assessment of real world mobility into a platform trial in multiple sclerosis

Hypothesis: It is feasible and acceptable to monitor real world walking within a platform study of Multiple Sclerosis patients.

 

Supervisors

Gavin Brittain (gavin.brittain@sheffield.ac.uk)

Ellen Buckley (e.e.buckley@sheffield.ac.uk)

Aim

To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of incorporating real-world digital mobility monitoring into a platform clinical study for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Objectives

• To determine the proportion of participants providing useable wearable data meeting predefined wear-time thresholds.
• To assess participant acceptability and willingness to engage in long-term mobility monitoring using questionnaires.
• To describe baseline real-world mobility of the OCTOPUS MS cohort using digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) derived from a lumbar-worn sensor.
• To explore relationships between DMOs and conventional clinical or functional measures collected within the platform study.

Abstract and methodology

The student will recruit multiple sclerosis (MS) participants attending the OCTOPUS platform study into MoStrAct and facilitate the longitudinal collection of 7 day real world mobility monitoring using a lumbar worn sensor to generate digital mobility outcomes (DMOs). The student will conduct acceptability questionnaires and interviews with participants. 

Type of project

Clinical project/qualitative project

Additional training or teaching

• Application of lumbar worn inertial measurement units
• Opportunity for training in an alternative statistical software (R/python)
• Interdisciplinary skills (between technical and clinical teams)
• Training in clinical outcome measures
• Training in semi-structured interview

Ethics requirements

Original research involving human tissues/human participants and/or patient details and information - UREC or NHS REC ethics approval obtained already.