Research groups
William Clarke
Wellcome Career Development Fellow
Advanced, open tools for MR Spectroscopy
My work focusses on developing new methods for magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Using similar methods to MR imaging (MRI), MRS allows us to quantify the concentrations and chemical kinetics of many neurochemicals in the human brain. Furthermore, by using neurochemicals as endogenous probes we can also map cell-type-specific microstructure. My work seeks to develop new ways of acquiring multi-voxel spectroscopic information to measure chemical dynamics and cellular microstructure across the brain. I have released the open-science MRS analysis tool FSL-MRS and created a range of open-source tools for the MRS community. I am a cofounder of the educational website MRSHub.
In 2023 I started a spectroscopy group at WIN funded by a Wellcome Career Development Award. Previously I have worked as spectroscopist in the Physiological Neuroimaging Group and as a post-doctoral researcher in the UK7T Network. Prior to working in neuroimaging, I completed my doctorate in cardiovascular magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This work focused on the high-energy phosphorus metabolism of the human myocardium.
I am open to consulting on acquisition and analysis of MR spectroscopy for clinical trials, and have previously done so for third-party CROs.
Introduction to Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Acquisition and Analysis
Key publications
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FSL‐MRS: An end‐to‐end spectroscopy analysis package
Journal article
Clarke WT. et al, (2020), Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
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Creatine kinase rate constant in the human heart measured with 3D-localization at 7 tesla.
Journal article
Clarke WT. et al, (2017), Magn Reson Med, 78, 20 - 32
Recent publications
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Low-intensity focused ultrasound to human amygdala reveals a causal role in ambiguous emotion processing and alters local and network-level activity
Preprint
Algermissen J. et al, (2025)
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MRS-BIDS, an extension to the Brain Imaging Data Structure for magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Journal article
Bouchard AE. et al, (2025), Sci Data, 12
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Brain and muscle chemistry in myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID: a 7T magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.
Journal article
Godlewska BR. et al, (2025), Mol Psychiatry
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Diffusion MRS tracks distinct trajectories of neuronal development in the cerebellum and thalamus of rat neonates
Preprint
Ligneul C. et al, (2025)
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7 Tesla magnetic resonance spectroscopy estimates of GABA concentration relate to physiological measures of tonic inhibition in the human motor cortex.
Journal article
Paparella I. et al, (2025), J Physiol
