Overview
My research focuses on image analysis of magnetic resonance imaging data (MRI), with a focus on diffusion MRI of the brain. I am interested in extracting anatomical and topological information from diffusion MRI tractography that can be further applied to the analysis of MRI data and other neuroimaging modalities. My research in CUBRIC has been primarily focused on finding novel ways of using tractography to harmonize the analysis of longitudinal MRI data acquired at different sites for each time point.
Publication
2025
- Cai, Q. et al. 2025. Decoding brain structure-function dynamics in health and in psychosis via an autoencoder. Scientific Reports 15 40052. (10.1038/s41598-025-24232-z)
- McCloskey, H. et al. 2025. Quantified head-ball impacts in soccer: a preliminary, prospective study. Neurotrauma Reports 6 (1), pp.928-943. (10.1177/2689288x251380145)
- Navarro-González, R. et al., 2025. Increased brain-age gap in young adults with psychotic experiences. Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science (10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100643)
- Urbini, N. et al., 2025. The cognitive cerebellum: linking microstructure to cognitive functions in a healthy population. NeuroImage 317 121356. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121356)
2024
- Ashley, S. A. et al., 2024. A longitudinal study of head circumference trajectories in autism and autistic traits.. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (10.1007/s10803-024-06578-x)
2023
- MacIver, C. et al. 2023. Macro- and micro-structural Insights into primary dystonia A UK Biobank study. Journal of Neurology (10.1007/s00415-023-12086-2)
2022
- Casella, C. et al. 2022. Mutation-related magnetization-transfer, not axon density, drives white matter differences in premanifest Huntington's disease: Evidence from in vivo ultra-strong gradient MRI. Human Brain Mapping 43 (11), pp.3439-3460. (10.1002/hbm.25859)
2021
- Casella, C. et al. 2021. Mutation-related apparent myelin, not axon density, drives white matter differences in premanifest Huntington's disease: evidence from in vivo ultra-strong gradient MRI. [Online].bioRxiv. (10.1101/2021.11.29.469517)Available at: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.29.469517.
- Merritt, K. et al., 2021. Longitudinal Structural MRI Findings in Individuals at Genetic and Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychiatry 12 620401. (10.3389/fpsyt.2021.620401)
Articles
- Ashley, S. A. et al., 2024. A longitudinal study of head circumference trajectories in autism and autistic traits.. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (10.1007/s10803-024-06578-x)
- Cai, Q. et al. 2025. Decoding brain structure-function dynamics in health and in psychosis via an autoencoder. Scientific Reports 15 40052. (10.1038/s41598-025-24232-z)
- Casella, C. et al. 2022. Mutation-related magnetization-transfer, not axon density, drives white matter differences in premanifest Huntington's disease: Evidence from in vivo ultra-strong gradient MRI. Human Brain Mapping 43 (11), pp.3439-3460. (10.1002/hbm.25859)
- MacIver, C. et al. 2023. Macro- and micro-structural Insights into primary dystonia A UK Biobank study. Journal of Neurology (10.1007/s00415-023-12086-2)
- McCloskey, H. et al. 2025. Quantified head-ball impacts in soccer: a preliminary, prospective study. Neurotrauma Reports 6 (1), pp.928-943. (10.1177/2689288x251380145)
- Merritt, K. et al., 2021. Longitudinal Structural MRI Findings in Individuals at Genetic and Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychiatry 12 620401. (10.3389/fpsyt.2021.620401)
- Navarro-González, R. et al., 2025. Increased brain-age gap in young adults with psychotic experiences. Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science (10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100643)
- Urbini, N. et al., 2025. The cognitive cerebellum: linking microstructure to cognitive functions in a healthy population. NeuroImage 317 121356. (10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121356)
Websites
Research
Research topics and related papers
Statistical analysis of diffusion MRI data
Mathematical modelling of the topological space represented by brain tractography
Development of tractography-informed frameworks for the representation and analysis of voxel-based data
Project and Funding
Mapping Neurodevelopmental Trajectories for Adult Psychiatric Disorder: ALSPAC-MRI-II
MRC Grant Reference MR/S003436/1.
Research collaborators
Biography
Postgraduate education
Ph.D. Neuroimaging
King's College London, U.K (2014-2019)
M.Sc. Neuroimaging
King's College London, U.K (2013-2014)
Undergraduate education
Licenciatura en Matemáticas (B.Sc + M.Sc. Mathematics)
Universidad de Granada, Spain (1993-1999)
Employment
01/2020 – present: Research Associate
Cardiff University, School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (Cardiff UK)
10/2018 – 12/2019: Research Associate
King's College London, (London UK)