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COMPDLA03 (1)

The PhD studentship focuses on developing visually explainable AI to analyze and visualize brain-heart interactions in health and disease, particularly concerning sudden unexpected deaths related to epilepsy and cardiac conditions. The project aims to improve diagnostic algorithms and understanding of life-threatening arrhythmias through interdisciplinary research, utilizing available data from ECG, EEG, and wearable devices. Applicants should have a relevant degree and meet specific language requirements, with funding covering Home fees and international applicants responsible for the difference.

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Ftoutou Firas
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9 views

COMPDLA03 (1)

The PhD studentship focuses on developing visually explainable AI to analyze and visualize brain-heart interactions in health and disease, particularly concerning sudden unexpected deaths related to epilepsy and cardiac conditions. The project aims to improve diagnostic algorithms and understanding of life-threatening arrhythmias through interdisciplinary research, utilizing available data from ECG, EEG, and wearable devices. Applicants should have a relevant degree and meet specific language requirements, with funding covering Home fees and international applicants responsible for the difference.

Uploaded by

Ftoutou Firas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PhD Studentship in Computer Science: Analysing and

Visualizing Brain-Heart Interactions in Health and


Disease Using Visually Explainable AI
Contact
Main Supervisor: [email protected]

Research project

Background: The interaction between the heart and the brain is highly complex, of which sudden
unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), sudden cardiac death (SCD) and sudden arrhythmic
death syndrome (SADS) are the primary, partly overlapping, clinical scenarios [1,6]. For example,
a person with a life-threatening cardiac condition known as long QT syndrome (LQTS) might
experience syncope (fainting) due to arrhythmias, which can mimic a seizure [4]. This occurs
when the abnormal heart rhythm causes a temporary reduction in blood flow to the brain [4]. This
may result in a seizure-like episode that is actually due to hypoxia (low oxygen levels in the brain)
rather than abnormal brain electrical activity, and as such LQTS is often misdiagnosed as
epilepsy [4,5]. On the other hand, certain seizures in epilepsy patients can lead to sudden death
due to mechanisms like cardiac arrhythmias, respiratory failure, or complications from status
epilepticus [2,3]. Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) remains one of the most
concerning potential outcomes associated with epilepsy and seizures [3,6].

Aim/Objectives: This interdisciplinary research aims to develop novel, visually explainable AI


(integrating computational AI algorithms and data visualisation approaches) to analyse and
visualise brain-heart interactions in health and disease, with a long-term vision of preventing
sudden cardiac death across wide range of cases. This includes advancing our understanding of
the overlapping mechanisms and early signs of life-threatening arrhythmias and other relevant
phenomena in neurological conditions such as epilepsy. Furthermore, the research will also
advance diagnostic explainable AI algorithms by developing and evaluating new methods to
visually explain the brain-heart features at risk of life-threatening conditions, and as such the
anticipated algorithms are more likely to be trusted in clinical practice than current ‘black box’
algorithms that cannot explain their results.

Timeliness & Potential Impact: Data for heart activity (such as electrocardiogram - ECG) and
for brain activity (such as electroencephalography - EEG) are becoming widely available now,
with large public databases on healthy volunteers and patients. We also hold large and unique
study databases in epilepsy that include special types of implanted EEG used in epilepsy. Finally,
wearable devices now enable to concurrent measurement of brain and heart in free-living
conditions, allowing us to study their interaction in a variety of contexts. With the rise of Machine
Learning and AI, we believe that we can now build a comprehensive computational framework to
study brain-heart interactions. Abnormal brain-heart interactions also underpin a range of
conditions, not limited to epilepsy; therefore, this project may have much wider implications for
translation and treatment.
Project Timeline

Supervision Environment
We offer a rich interdisciplinary research environment in both clinical and computational labs.
Dr Alaa Alahmadi is a Lecturer in Computational Medicine, based in the Interdisciplinary
Computing and Complex BioSystems (ICOS) research group in the School of Computing. She has
excellent track record in cardiac monitoring technologies detecting early warning signs of
arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, using integrative knowledge & modelling across multiple
complex disciplines. Prof Yujiang Wang is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and leads the
Computational Neuroscience, Neurology, and Psychiatry (CNNP) lab in the School of
Computing. Wang has extensive experience in both EEG, ECG, and wearable sensor analysis,
and has a long track record in epilepsy research using computational and data science
approaches with over 70 peer-reviewed papers on the topic. Dr Rhys Thomas is an Epileptologist
(Royal Victoria Infirmary), Reader in Epilepsy (Newcastle University) and President of the British
branch of the International League Against Epilepsy. He has extensive experience in clinical
epilepsy research, including studying preventable causes of sudden death unexpected in
epilepsy.

Applicant skills/background
This project requires A 2:1 honours degree and/or a merit master's degree, or international
equivalent, in Computer Science or a related discipline. Applicants whose first language is not
English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills. The
studentship covers fees at the Home rate (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status
and meet the residency criteria). International applicants are welcome to apply but will be
required to cover the difference between Home and International fees. International applicants
may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to
obtaining their visa and to study on this programme.

References
1. Shlobin, N.A., Thijs, R.D., Benditt, D.G., Zeppenfeld, K. and Sander, J.W., 2024. Sudden death
in epilepsy: the overlap between cardiac and neurological factors. Brain Communications, 6(5),
p.fcae309.
2. Surges, R., Taggart, P., Sander, J.W. and Walker, M.C., 2010. Too long or too short? New
insights into abnormal cardiac repolarization in people with chronic epilepsy and its potential
role in sudden unexpected death. Epilepsia, 51(5), pp.738-744.
3. Surges, R., Adjei, P., Kallis, C., Erhuero, J., Scott, C.A., Bell, G.S., Sander, J.W. and Walker,
M.C., 2010. Pathologic cardiac repolarization in pharmacoresistant epilepsy and its potential
role in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: a case–control study. Epilepsia, 51(2), pp.233-
242.
4. Anderson, J.H., Bos, J.M., Meyer, F.B., Cascino, G.D. and Ackerman, M.J., 2012, November.
Concealed long QT syndrome and intractable partial epilepsy: a case report. In Mayo Clinic
Proceedings (Vol. 87, No. 11, pp. 1128-1131). Elsevier.
5. Crawford, J.M.M.J., French, J.K., Shelling, A.N., Rees, M.I. and Skinner, J.R., 2009.
Misdiagnosis of long QT syndrome as epilepsy at first presentation. An Emer Med, 54.
6. Van der Lende, M., Surges, R., Sander, J.W. and Thijs, R.D., 2016. Cardiac arrhythmias during
or after epileptic seizures. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 87(1), pp.69-74.

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