Psychology Colloquia Series: Dr Matteo De Marco

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Time: 12.00pm - 1.00pm
Price: free
Speaker(s): Dr Matteo De Marco, Brunel University London

All are welcome to the Psychology Colloquia, where distinguished guest speakers present talks encompassing a diverse array of topics within the field of Psychology and beyond.

This week's speaker is Dr Matteo De Marco, from Brunel University London, a lecturer within the Division of Psychology, contributing to teaching and research activities. He is part of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCN) and his main area of research is the study of cognitive functioning (semantic memory in particular) in ageing and early-stage neurodegeneration.

Abstract: Semantic Memory in Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease: An Opportunity for Presymptomatic Detection 

Although considerable progress has been made over the last few years in the field of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) diagnostics and treatment, research still faces a number of crucial challenges. One of these is defining valid, inexpensive and easy-to-implement routines that allow AD detection at the earliest stage possible, ideally before the onset of clinical symptoms.

While episodic memory lapses are typically the first clinically-established sign of AD, these are often predated by subtle alterations in other cognitive functions that might go unnoticed. A domain known to show quantifiable changes during the earliest stages of the disease is semantic memory (SM). Routine SM tests, however, tend not to show any significant decline until later clinical stages. A major reason for this is the hybrid nature of SM tests, which draw heavily from memory and language but also require attentional and executive resources. In this respect, metrics that are purer indices of SM and are less influenced by other functions would be particularly useful to help detect early-stage AD.

It is with this purpose, that item-level SM metrics have been introduced. These indices complement the use of classic test scores and offer a significant opportunity to define objective measures of preclinical AD mechanisms.

This event will be held on Microsoft Teams - click here to access.

The series is organised by Dr. Simona Cantarella (s.cantarella@kingston.ac.uk) and Dr. Goffredina Spano (g.spano@kingston.ac.uk) from the Psychology Department. If you would like more information about the event, please feel free to email either of them. 

All events in this series

Psychology Colloquia Series: Dr Matteo De Marco, 31 Jan 2024
Psychology Colloquia Series: Dr Amanda Rotella, 23 Feb 2024
Psychology Colloquia Series: Dr Lucy Cragg, 28 Feb 2024
Psychology Colloquia Series: Dr Melania Calestani, 13 March 2024
Psychology Colloquia Series: Dr Joanne Bower, 22 March 2024
Psychology Colloquia Series: Dr Jayne Morriss, 24 April 2024
Psychology Colloquia Series: Professor Marie Juanchich, 15 May 2024
Psychology Colloquia Series: Dr Anne Van Hoogmoed, 21 May 2024

For further information about this event:

Contact: Lucy Raymond (Events Officer - please email for any logistical enquiries)
Email: lucy.raymond@kingston.ac.uk