Miss Natalie Jones

Publication

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Research

My main research interests involve neuroscience, neuroinflammation, neurological disease progression, neuroimaging, and women's health. I am currently working on a Clinical Trail using MEG (task and resting state) as well as fMRI (resting state and structural). I am passionate about uncovering underlying physiological adaptations associated with disease or declining cognitive function, as well as optimising imaging methodology, and working towards better understanding, treatment options and potential preventative measures.

As part of my PhD, I am conducting research into how the immune response affects three main barriers in the brain: blood-brain barrier, blood-CSF barrier, and vasculature. I'll also analyse blood results as a potential biomarker for neuroinflammation, clinical monitoring data, and cognitive task assessments.

 As an aside, I am also interested in how disorders of the female reproductive system influence hormones, inflammation, cognitive functioning and subsequent disorder.

Biography

After completing my BSc Psychology in 2011, I built up my experience, skills, and understanding through working with Flying Start, the Biomedical science laboratory in UHW, and fundraising for the MS Society and Macmillan Cancer Support - raising over £13,000. My main interest has always been around neuroscience, medical interventions, neuroimmunology and psychopharmacology. I returned to Cardiff University in 2019 to complete the MSc Neuroimaging: Methods and Applications, before publishing a separate research project with Raluca Petrican and Alex Fornito, and starting work as a Research Assistant in CUBRIC under Neil Harrison.