Professor Joanna Wardlaw

joanna.wardlaw@ed.ac.uk

Organisation:

Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (CCBS), Clinical Research Imaging Centre (CRIC), Edinburgh Neuroscience

Department:

SFC Brain Imaging Research Centre (SBIRC), Clinical Neurosciences

Homepage:

http://www.dcn.ed.ac.uk/dcn/default.asp

Keywords:

Stroke, Lacunar stroke, Leukoaraiosis, Ageing, Cerebral atrophy, White matter disease, Thrombolysis, Carotid Doppler ultrasound, Perfusion imaging (CT and MR), Permeability imaging (MR), Diffusion imaging, Structural imaging

Interests:

I am a senior academic neuroradiologist with a major interest in stroke, ageing and the effects of vascular disease on the brain as determined using imaging. I established the University of Edinburgh’s Brain Imaging Research Centre in 1998 and have maintained it as a major research resource since then. I am interested in research methodologies such as systematic reviews of diagnostic tests, analysis of imaging data, improving methods to extract pathophysiological information from imaging of the brain. My major interests are determining the pathophysiological mechanisms of cerebral small vessel disease in particular the role of the blood brain barrier versus ischaemia, and of large artery stroke, in particular determining the duration of salvageable tissue and modifiable secondary pathophysiological events at which new treatments could be targeted. I have been interested in thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke since initiating a small RCT of intra-arterial thrombolysis (1990), and have maintained the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews review of Thrombolysis in Acute Ischaemic Stroke since then. I provided expert input to three multicentre thrombolysis in stroke trials (MAST-I, ECASS3 and IST-3). I have co-authored two highly regarded textbooks, numerous stroke guidelines and health economic assessments and provide teaching in neuroimaging for research through on-line MSc and CPD modules.

Research Themes:

Ischaemic large artery and small vessel stroke – imaging in pathophysiology, treatment, prognosis, Ageing and changes in the brain on imaging, Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of diagnostic imaging, Cost-effective use of diagnostic imaging in stroke, Management of imaging data in clinical trials and multicentre observational studies

Key Publications:

Karaszewski B, Wardlaw JM, Marshall I, Cvoro V, Wartolowska K, Haga K, Armitage PA, Bastin ME, Dennis MS. Early brain temperature elevation and anaerobic metabolism in human acute ischaemic stroke. Brain 2009;132:955-964.
Wardlaw JM; Sandercock PA; Murray V. Should more patients with acute ischaemic stroke receive thrombolytic treatment? BMJ 2009;339: b4584
Wardlaw JM, Doubal F, Armitage P, Chappell F, Carpenter T, Maniega SM, Farrall A, Sudlow C, Dennis M, Dhillon B. Lacunar stroke is associated with diffuse blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Ann Neurol 2009;65(2):194-202
Warlow CP, van Gijn J, Dennis MS, Wardlaw JM, et al: Stroke. Practical Management. Blackwell Scientific Ltd, Oxford, 2008. ISBN 978-1-4051-2766-0. 3rd Edition

Collaborators:

ECASS 3 (PI Prof Werner Hacke) multicentre trial of rt-PA in acute ischaemic stroke International
Aberdeen, ageing and dementia imaging (Murray) Scotland
Glasgow, Aberdeen, Acute Stroke Imaging (Muir, McLeod, Lowe) Scotland
Univ of Nottingham, Prof P Bath (ENOS and PODCAST trials) United Kingdom
Glasgow, Aberdeen, cost effectiveness of imaging in stroke prevention (Muir, Hadley, Macnamee) Scotland
Recent past collaborations include with Oxford, London, Nottingham, NEUROGRID (MRC funded eScience imaging collaboration) United Kingdom
Univ of Manchester, Prof A Jackson, (permeability imaging) United Kingdom
Dresden (Prof R von Kummer, Stroke Imaging, IST-3) International
STIR (Stroke Imaging Repository) Collaboration (USA, Europe, Australia) International
SITS-MOST (Prof Nils Wahlgren, Prof R von Kummer and colleagues) thrombolysis registry International
IST-3 (PIs Prof P Sandercock Edinburgh, Prof R Lindley Australia) International