David’s principal research interests are in the application of magnetic resonance techniques to better understand basis, trajectory and treatment of psychiatric disorders. The majority of his work centres around bipolar disorder, a major psychiatric disorder associated with substantial morbidity and mortality.
He has an enduring interest in structural brain imaging, latterly with respect to determining drug effects and the identification of biomarkers in large scale studies. My research combining structural and quantitative imaging has provided novel interpretations of the effect of lithium on the brain, pertinent to its actions in bipolar disorder. He has conducted fMRI studies using stimulant models of mania to determine the effects of lithium on dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems and am investigating is actions on neurometabolite concentrations using proton spectroscopy.
