Multiscale modelling of the microstructural evolution of nervous tissues through high-performance computing

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project seeks to address a key UK societal challenge in healthcare concerning neurological disorders. It is estimated that neurological conditions are a leading cause of disability in the UK and cause around one-fifth of all deaths yearly. Growing evidence points to the pivotal role of mechanics in neurological disorders and experiments show that neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and demyelination, lead to changes in nervous tissue microstructure. For instance, autism has been linked to structural plasticity-associated changes leading to alterations in dendritic spines' (tiny protrusions from dendrites, which form functional contacts with neighbouring axons of other neurons) shape and number. From the modelling point of view, efforts have been made to understand the mechanisms underlying such neurological conditions through different theoretical and computational approaches and to elucidate innovative treatment strategies. While advances have been made in the investigation of the function and dysfunction of nervous tissues, many common challenges still need to be addressed and realistic computational simulations based on a multiscale and multiphysics framework tying together the individual pieces of information are still missing. The methodologies developed in this proposal will provide new mathematical infrastructures and generate a fundamental scientific understanding of the nerve tissue by explaining how the relationship among electro-chemo-mechanical interactions at individual scales contributes to its evolution through mathematical modelling and high-performance computing. The outcomes and knowledge generated by the proposal will be of most benefit to the scientific community and, particularly, to healthcare as it aims at understanding some of the mechanisms concerning the progression of neurological disorders and shed light on new information that can be useful for the conception of novel treatment strategies. A long-term goal is to reinforce the scientific community in terms of the technological transfer towards biomedicine through accessible, but sophisticated, computer software.