Maura Malpetti University positionPhD student DepartmentsDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences InstitutesHome pagehttps://ftd.neurology.cam.ac.uk/ Research ThemesInterestsI am interested in the study of neuropathology, biomarkers and clinical features of neurodegenerative diseases. My work focuses on the application of neuroimaging techniques, such as PET and MRI, to describe progressive brain changes in dementia and related disorders, in order to identify early diagnostic and prognostic markers. The overarching aim of my PhD project is to determine the predictive value of in vivo PET imaging for molecular pathology and inflammation on longitudinal clinical and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia and progressive supranuclear palsy. I also study the role of apathy and structural brain changes in pre-symptomatic and post-symptomatic genetic frontotemporal dementia (GENFI). For my research questions, I apply longitudinal statistical models and multimodal imaging analyses. Research Focus
EquipmentMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Neuropsychological testing Positron Emission Tomography (PET) CollaboratorsNo collaborators listed Associated News Items
Key publicationsMalpetti M, Kievit RA, Passamonti L, Jones PS, Tsvetanov KA, Rittman T, Mak E, Nicastro N, Bevan-Jones WR, Su L, Hong YT, Fryer TD, Aigbirhio FI, O'Brien JT, Rowe JB (2020), “Microglial activation and tau burden predict cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease” Brain 143(5):1588-1602 |