The main clinical research focus of SINAPSE is on imaging the brain, with additional interests in oncology and cardiovascular imaging.

The network has research expertise across a range of neurological and psychiatric conditions including stroke, dementia, schizophrenia, autism and multiple sclerosis. SINAPSE researchers work closely with clinicians based in Scotland's Clinical Research Networks and also study the normal brain in youth and at older ages, using unique data to develop neurological biomarkers of cognitive decline and early dementia. Radiochemistry researchers are developing novel PET and SPECT tracers to use in molecular imaging in drug development.

The technology focus of SINAPSE ranges across structural, molecular and functional imaging and is applied across academic, translational and clinical settings.

SINAPSE has a wide range of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research experience across four Scottish universities. Brain imaging research focuses on structural and functional correlates of normal and abnormal brain development, common neurological disease states and brain ageing. A QA protocol has been developed to allow the reproducibility of all our MRI scanners to be assessed over many scanning modalities (e.g. sMRI, fMRI, MRS). Harmonization of protocols, tools and methods allows us to run more efficient multicentre studies.

Molecular imaging techniques, positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), are invaluable research tools in the study of both normal and disease processes in the brain. The focus of our molecular imaging effort is in the development and deployment of suitably radiolabelled novel tracers across our multicentre radiochemistry imaging research base.

SINAPSE researchers are developing methods that allow full space-time analyses of electroencephalography (EEG) data. These methods will allow a better quantification of event related electrical activities, which ultimately will be incorporated into fMRI designs and analysis. The expertise in our centres is also being pooled in order to create a common toolbox to measure different fMRI image parameters using a standardised methodology. All our centres are now equipped with the same state of the art fMRI equipment allowing audio-visual stimulation.

Across the SINAPSE collaboration, we have a wide range of image processing capabilities, ranging from subjective radiological interpretation using standardised validated imaging reading formats, through to complex image analysis software tools for processing tractography or perfusion imaging data. While many of these are under active development or in use in ongoing projects, we are actively engaged in examining which programmes might be made more widely available and have already made available several standardised templates for radiological interpretation.