Coco Newton

Interests

My research focuses on detecting the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), known as preclinical AD, before symptoms are present. I use immersive virtual and augmented reality to test spatial memory dependent the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit, the first area of the brain affected by AD. In tandem with ultra-high resolution 7T MRI, I'm aiming to characterise functional and structural brain changes present in preclinical AD to provide novel biomarkers for clinical trials and improved understanding of the earliest disease stages. Additionally, behavioural testing may deliver new diagnostic tests to detect AD decades earlier than currently possible.

Research Focus

Equipment

Immersive Virtual Reality

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)