Ian Harding PhD

Dr. Ian Harding is the Head of the Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration Research Group in the Dept of Neuroscience and Monash Biomedical Imaging.

Our research group uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) to investigate and track brain changes in people with neurodegenerative diseases. This work principally focuses on individuals with inherited subcortical diseases, including Friedreich ataxia, Spinocerebellar ataxias, and Huntington’s disease. Additional work in other neurodegenerative disorders and in preclinical animal models is also being undertaken with our collaborators.

The broad aims of our research include biological phenotyping, such as describing changes in brain structure and function, and mechanistic inferences, including cellular/molecular-level measurements of inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolic dysfunction. Our studies seek to provide more comprehensive disease descriptions and to identify measures relevant to track disease progression or treatment efficacy.