The University of Sheffield
Department of Neuroscience

Dr Tom Jenkins MBChB MRCP PhDTom Jenkins

Clinical Lecturer and Specialty Registrar in Neurology

Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)
385a Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2HQ
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 114 222 2268
Fax: +44 (0) 114 222 2290
Email: Thomas.Jenkins@sth.nhs.uk

Biography

I qualified as a doctor in 1999 and, after training in general medicine and neurology in Manchester, Blackpool, Perth, Darwin and London, I decided that I wanted to learn to apply neuroimaging techniques to try and better understand neurological diseases. Neuroimaging is a field which has advanced very rapidly in recent years and improvements in technology now allow assessment of many different aspects of disease in a way which is minimally invasive for patients. I obtained my PhD in Clinical Neuroscience from the UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London and moved to Sheffield in 2009 to complete my training in clinical neurology. I am focusing on establishing a neuroimaging research programme for patients with motor neuron disease (MND) in Sheffield. Outside of work, I enjoy running for Hallamshire Harriers and once came 67th in the London Marathon.

Research Interests

I am interested in applying cutting edge magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to try and understand neurological disease mechanisms. For my PhD work, I investigated people with neuroinflammatory disease, learning more about damage and recovery mechanisms in patients with optic neuritis. Now I want to apply some of the techniques I learned to the field of MND. The aim is to discover more about the mechanisms through which this disease affects people during life. This step is a crucial complement to the laboratory research work at SITraN, towards the ultimate goal of helping doctors treat MND more effectively in the future.

Teaching Interests

I find teaching one of the most enjoyable parts of my job and I give regular lectures and clinical demonstrations to medical students, nurses, newly qualified doctors, psychiatrists and dentists. The lectures cover a wide range of aspects of clinical neurology, from the features of diseases such as MND, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders, through to the neuroanatomical basis of emotions.

Professional activities

I am module lead for Cerebrovascular disease and disorders of consciousness on the MSc course in Clinical Neurology at the University of Sheffield.
I represent the University of Sheffield as a member of the Neuroimaging Society on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (NiSALS), an international collaboration to forward neuroimaging research in MND.

Current projects

I am in the process of establishing a new research project which aims to assess deficits of energy metabolism in patients with MND using MR spectroscopy.

Key publications

  1. Jenkins TM, Burness C, Connolly DJ, et al. A prospective pilot study measuring muscle volumetric change in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration 2013: In press.
  2. Jenkins TM, Ciccarelli O, Atzori M, et al. Early pericalcarine atrophy in acute optic neuritis is associated with conversion to MS. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2011; 82(9): 1017-1021.
  3. Jenkins TM, Toosy AT, Ciccarelli O, et al. Neuroplasticity predicts visual recovery in acute optic neuritis independent of tissue damage. Ann Neurol 2010; 67(1): 99-113.
  4. Jenkins TM, Ciccarelli O, Toosy AT, et al. Dissecting structure-function interactions in acute optic neuritis to investigate neuroplasticity. Hum Brain Mapp 2010; 31(2): 276-286.
  5. Kolappan M, Henderson AP, Jenkins TM, et al. Assessing structure and function of the afferent visual pathway in multiple sclerosis and associated optic neuritis. J Neurol 2009; 256: 309-319.