Cognitive

Our current research in cognition and behaviour is in the fields of eye tracking, computerised cognitive batteries, and digital biomarkers. We are also interested in developing cognitive composite scores for clinical trials. Ongoing projects include:

Developing the GENFI-Cog, a cognitive composite for genetic forms of FTD
Understanding changes in cognition and behaviour in proximity to symptom onset in genetic FTD
Instructionless eye tracking tests of cognition
The Early Detection of FTD (EDoF) digital biomarker study which includes a computerized cognitive testing app for tablets

Team Members

Postdoctoral Researcher

Lucy Chisman-Russell

Postdoctoral Researcher

Rhian Convery

Posters

AAIC 2021 (virtual, July 2021): The Boston Naming Test identifies presymptomatic anomia in MAPT mutation carriers
AAIC 2021 (virtual, July 2021): Eye-tracking task detects early executive function deficits in presymptomatic FTD
ARUK 2021 (virtual, March 2021): The Boston Naming Test identifies presymptomatic anomia in MAPT mutation carriers
BNS 2019 (London, November 2019): Novel eye tracking tasks assess emotional processing in individuals with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia
AAIC 2019 (Los Angeles, July 2019): Comparing the sensitivity of brief cognitive assessments in detecting behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia
AAIC 2019 (Los Angeles, July 2019): Ignite: A novel cognitive assessment app for testing presymptomatic FTD
11th ICFTD (Sydney, November 2018): Presymptomatic abnormal perception of pain in C9orf72 expansion carriers: early autonomic changes in the GENFI cohort
11th ICFTD (Sydney, November 2018): Social cognitive impairment in familial frontotemporal dementia: results from the GENFI study
11th ICFTD (Sydney, November 2018): GENFI-Cog: Developing a cognitive composite score for presymptomatic genetic FTD therapeutic trials
AAIC 2017 (London, July 2017): Evaluating distinct components of empathic behaviour in frontotemporal dementia
International Symposium for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2016 (Dublin, December 2016): The cognitive profile of motor neurone disease
10th ICFTD (Munich, September 2016): Investigating the role of face processing in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia
ARUK Conference 2016 (Manchester, March 2016): Investigating the role of brief cognitive assessments in the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia

Publications

Longitudinal Cognitive Changes in Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Within the GENFI Cohort. Poos JM, MacDougall A, van den Berg E, Jiskoot LC, Papma JM, van der Ende EL, Seelaar H, Russell LL, Peakman G, Convery R, Pijnenburg YAL, Moreno F, Sanchez-Valle R, Borroni B, Laforce R Jr, DorÃ MC, Masellis M, Tartaglia MC, Graff C, Galimberti D, Rowe J, Finger E, Synofzik M, Vandenberghe R, Mendonça A, Tiraboschi P, Santana I, Ducharme S, Butler C, Gerhard A, Levin J, Danek A, Otto M, Le Ber I, Pasquier F, van Swieten J, Rohrer JD; Genetic FTD Initiative (GENFI). Neurology. [Epub ahead of print.]
Anomia is present pre-symptomatically in frontotemporal dementia due to MAPT mutations. Bouzigues A, Russell LL, Peakman G, Bocchetta M, Greaves CV, Convery RS, Todd E, Rowe JB, Borroni B, Galimberti D, Tiraboschi P, Masellis M, Tartaglia MC, Finger E, van Swieten JC, Seelaar H, Jiskoot L, Sorbi S, Butler CR, Graff C, Gerhard A, Langheinrich T, Laforce R, Sanchez-Valle R, de Mendonça A, Moreno F, Synofzik M, Vandenberghe R, Ducharme S, Le Ber I, Levin J, Danek A, Otto M, Pasquier F, Santana I, Rohrer JD; Genetic FTD Initiative, GENFI. J Neurol. [Epub ahead of print.]
Cognitive composites for genetic frontotemporal dementia: GENFI-Cog. Poos JM, Moore KM, Nicholas J, Russell LL, Peakman G, Convery RS, Jiskoot LC, van der Ende E, van den Berg E, Papma JM, Seelaar H, Pijnenburg YAL, Moreno F, Sanchez-Valle R, Borroni B, Laforce R, Masellis M, Tartaglia C, Graff C, Galimberti D, Rowe JB, Finger E, Synofzik M, Vandenberghe R, de Mendonça A, Tiraboschi P, Santana I, Ducharme S, Butler C, Gerhard A, Levin J, Danek A, Otto M, Le Ber I, Pasquier F, van Swieten JC, Rohrer JD; Genetic FTD Initiative (GENFI). Alzheimers Res Ther. 2022 Jan 19;14(1):10.
Impairment of episodic memory in genetic frontotemporal dementia: A GENFI study. Poos JM, Russell LL, Peakman G et al. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2021 May 13;13(1):e12185.
Novel instructionless eye tracking tasks identify emotion recognition deficits in frontotemporal dementia. Russell LL, Greaves CV, Convery RS, Nicholas J, Warren JD, Kaski D, Rohrer JD. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2021;13(1):39.
Social cognition impairment in genetic frontotemporal dementia within the GENFI cohort. Russell LL, Greaves CV, Bocchetta M, Nicholas J, Convery RS, Moore K, Cash DM, van Swieten J, Jiskoot L, Moreno F, Sanchez-Valle R, Borroni B, Laforce R Jr, Masellis M, Tartaglia MC, Graff C, Rotondo E, Galimberti D, Rowe JB, Finger E, Synofzik M, Vandenberghe R, de Mendonça A, Tagliavini F, Santana I, Ducharme S, Butler C, Gerhard A, Levin J, Danek A, Otto M, Warren JD, Rohrer JD; Genetic FTD Initiative, GENFI. Cortex. 2020;133:384-398.
A modified Camel and Cactus Test detects presymptomatic semantic impairment in genetic frontotemporal dementia within the GENFI cohort. Moore KM, Convery R, Bocchetta M, Neason M, Cash DM, Greaves CV, Russell LL, Clarke MTM, Peakman G, van Swieten J, Jiskoot L, Moreno F, Barandiaran M, Sanchez-Valle R, Borroni B, Laforce Jr R, Doré M-C, Masellis M, Tartaglia MC, Graff C, Galimberti D, Rowe JB, Finger E, Synofzik M, Karnath H-O, Vandenberghe R, de Mendonça A, Maruta C, Tagliavini F, Santana I, Ducharme S, Butler C, Gerhard A, Levin J, Danek A, Otto M, Warren JD, Rohrer JD, GENFI. Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2020:1-8.
Eyetracking metrics reveal impaired spatial anticipation in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. Primativo S, Clark C, Yong KXX, Firth NC, Nicholas J, Alexander D, Warren JD, Rohrer JD, Crutch SJ. Neuropsychologia. 2017;106:328-340.