Detlef Alexander Gerhard

Detlef Alexander Gerhard is a Senior Lecturer in clinical neuroscience at the Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre (WMIC) and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at Salford Royal Hospital. He holds additional roles as Deputy Centre Lead for Clinical and Cognitive Neurosciences at the Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and well-being.

Education: MD from the University of Bonn (1995), followed by neurology training in Munich, Münster, and Ulm. He completed a Research Fellowship at the MRC Cyclotron Unit in London (2000–2005) and psychiatry training in Mainz (2005–2007). Since 2008, he has been at the University of Manchester.

Research focuses on neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disorders using PET imaging, particularly with [11C](R)-PK11195. He investigates microglial activation in Parkinson’s disease, MSA, and dementia. Recent work includes longitudinal studies on microglial activity and clinical trials of minocycline in MSA. Current projects involve HRRT PET and multimodal imaging in dementia, and genetic/biochemical correlations in neurodegenerative diseases.

Teaching includes undergraduate neurology, neuropathology modules, and registrar training. Collaborations span WMIC/Manchester (e.g., Karl Herholz, Rainer Hinz) and external institutions like Imperial College London (N Pavese) and King’s College London (Turkheimer/Hammers). He is involved in grants like GENFI and INMiND.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre and European MSA Study Group (EMSA-SG). Professional memberships include the Royal College of Physicians and Movement Disorder Society.