M. Sc. Chelsea Jarrett

I studied Medical Neuroscience (B.Sc.) at the University of Sussex, also studying on the international summer exchange program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. After working for ten months at a mental health hospital in the UK, I studied Neuroscience (M.Sc.) at King’s College London. My thesis examined the effects of chronic methylphenidate treatment upon response inhibition deficits in boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, using fMRI.

At the start of 2021, I began my PhD under the joint supervision of Prof. Katharina von Kriegstein and Prof. Hannes Ruge. My doctoral research investigates the role of the thalamus in human goal-directed behaviour, using fMRI sequences with high spatial resolution (1.75 mm isotropic). My research also involves collaborations with three CRC-projects in order to test predictions about thalamus involvement in distinct cognitive task components and in dysfunction within two patient groups (addiction, and anorexia nervosa).

• High-resolution neuroimaging of thalamic nuclei in vivo in humans
• Investigating the role of distinct thalamic nuclei in human cognition
• Assessing cortico-thalamic connectivity
• Investigating thalamic dysfunction in addiction and anorexia nervosa disorders
• Adaptation to novel rules and contexts in cognition

Jarrett, C., Zwosta, K., Wang, X., Wolfensteller, U., Iglesias, J. E:, von Kriegstein, K., Ruge, H. (2024) Progressive Changes in Functional Connectivity between Thalamic Nuclei and Cortical Networks Across Learning. bioRxiv 2024.08.26.609333. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.26.609333