In this interview series we'll learn more about different EMH members across the network, starting with neuropsychologist Freddie O'Donald.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi! I am a researcher and neuropsychologist based in Scotland. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dr Clara Calia and EMH for quite a while now, ever since I completed my MSc some time ago! I was fortunate to carry out my PhD research project under the supervision of Dr Clara Calia and Professor Mario Parra Rodriguez at the University of Edinburgh. Now, I’m continuing my collaboration with them on clinical research through the Applied Cognition Lab at the University of Strathclyde. Our work has focused on investigating the cognitive and functional changes that occur in the early stages of neurodegeneration through the development and validation of easily administered, cost-effective, and inclusive neurocognitive assessments among older adults at risk of or with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. This ensures that people have an equal chance of receiving the right diagnosis by using accurate and culturally relevant assessment measures.
Tell us more about your current work.
We know that people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease have difficulty with a particular aspect of memory known as binding. This refers to how the brain pulls different pieces of information together to form a cohesive memory. A specific type of binding, called conjunctive binding, appears to be a particularly sensitive cognitive marker for the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Importantly, this type of binding appears to remain unaffected by healthy ageing and other forms of dementia, making it a valuable tool for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease specifically.
My most recent project focused on improving the accuracy of functional assessments in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Here, we explored whether functional impairments could be linked to memory binding to identify Alzheimer’s disease-specific impairments in the preclinical stages of the disease. This is important as a person’s ability to manage everyday tasks is key to understanding whether they may have Alzheimer’s disease. It’s essential that the functions we assess as health professionals accurately reflect whether difficulties in performing these tasks are likely due to cognitive problems associated with Alzheimer’s. Also, detailed analyses linking cognitive and functional impairments in the early stages of Alzheimer's are rare, making this an important area of study.
In our study, we followed 168 people, including healthy older adults, individuals with mild cognitive difficulties at risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Over the course of four years, these participants underwent yearly assessments to track their progress. We conducted a range of cognitive assessments and introduced a novel measure consisting of 84 different functional tasks that we hypothesised may be affected by memory binding. Our goal was to identify which tasks best distinguished between cognitively healthy and impaired individuals while exploring the connection between these functional tasks and memory binding.
We found that functions related to shopping (e.g., difficulty recognising common products in supermarkets or shops), the use of money (e.g., difficulty recalling the PIN codes for different bank cards), social life (e.g., difficulty recognising the homes of new friends), and domestic chores (e.g., forgetting the names of ingredients while cooking) demonstrated the strongest ability to differentiate between healthy individuals and those with mild cognitive difficulties who later progressed to developing Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Also, many of these tasks were strongly associated with memory binding, highlighting their potential as valuable indicators of Alzheimer's disease-specific impairments.
Which of these findings are the most interesting to you?
I find the role of conjunctive binding as a sensitive marker for Alzheimer’s disease particularly interesting. To facilitate the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, it makes sense to develop cognitive tests that target the specific vulnerabilities associated with this neurodegenerative disease while remaining unaffected by the processes of healthy ageing and other types of dementia. Also, unlike many other cognitive tests, research has shown that memory-binding assessments are largely unaffected by factors such as education level, socioeconomic status, culture, and literacy. This suggests that these assessments have the potential to be more accessible and inclusive for a diverse range of people.
It’s exciting to see how advancements in this area of research can enhance our understanding of preclinical Alzheimer’s symptoms and lead to the development of more accurate tests. In particular, tests that focus on functional changes, as these may be the first signs that individuals or their families notice potentially indicating the onset of dementia. By providing more individuals with the opportunity to be assessed for dementia in its preclinical stages, we can facilitate earlier interventions. This, in turn, helps people receive treatments that may delay the onset of symptoms and better prepare them for their care needs in the later stages of the disease.
How did you become interested/involved in your current area of research?
My interest in dementia research began through my experiences working directly with people diagnosed with dementia. Also, having a family member diagnosed with dementia has motivated me to improve diagnosis and support for those affected by it.
If you weren’t doing research in this area, what other area would interest you?
I have always been interested in improving dementia detection and assessment for autistic people. I am conducting some research in this area, which is slightly different from my previous work. If I weren’t diving into the world of dementia research, I’d always fancied the idea of marine biology!
How has EMH helped with your research endeavours?
EMH has provided a valuable network for collaboration across Scotland within applied psychology. Being part of a community of researchers working on such interesting projects and from whom you can continually learn has been incredibly useful.
Freddie is a neuropsychologist and researcher interested in improving the early detection of dementias, such as Alzheimer’s disease, and examining the interaction between neurodiversity and dementia in later life.
If you’d like to chat about my work or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or Dr Clara Calia. We’d love to hear from you!
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