First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisors Dr Robert Drummond and Dr Eddie Rowan for their extensive guidance and support throughout my PhD. I would especially like to thank Robert for allowing me the freedom to pursue my ideas and for providing valuable feedback and criticism over the course of my studies. I would also like to thank my clinical collaborator Professor Andrew Rankin for helping me to understand how basic research translates into clinical practice. Finally, I would

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... ike to thank Dr Niall MacQuaide and Dr Francis Burton for their help with the analysis software. During my PhD I made numerous friends which I will keep for life. I would especially like to thank Laura Hutchison, not only for her help as a colleague, but also for her support as a friend. In SIPBS I developed an extensive support network and while there are too many people to name individually, I would especially like to acknowledge