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Claire O'Callaghan

Decision-making processes in dementia

Portrait of Claire O'Callaghan
  • Award

    2012 CDRN PhD Scholarship in Younger Onset Dementia

  • Status

    Completed

  • Start Date

    1 January 2013

About the project

Making decisions is something we do many times each day. However, we rarely spare a thought for what a complex process decision making is. To make the right decision in a given situation, it is necessary to take in all the available information and weigh up the pros and cons of possible choices, before we then take action.

In patients who have dementia this complex decision making process can be disrupted, leading to behaviours such as being socially inappropriate, not taking care of personal hygiene, impulsive spending or gambling, risk-taking and over-eating. These behaviours can cause harm to the patient and are very distressing for their families and carers.

However, we do not understand exactly what causes decision making processes to break down in dementia. To date, Ms O'Callaghan's PhD project has focused on designing better tests to measure decision making process in dementia, and looking at the brain changes that cause impaired decision making. The novel approaches she has used have looked at these processes have provided important new insights into these complex problems.

The ultimate goal of her research is that through a better understanding of decision making problems in dementia, this will improve our ability to treat and mange these symptoms better in the future. 

Publications and presentations resulting from award

O'Callaghan C, Bertoux M and Hornberger M. Beyond and below the cortex: The contribution of striatal dysfunction to cognition and behaviour in neurodegeneration. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Published Online First: 6 July 2013: 10.1136/jnnp-2012-304558

O'Callaghan C, Naismith SL, Hodges, JR, Lewis SJG and Hornberger. M. Fronto-striatal atrophy correlates of inhibitory dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease versus behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. Cortex, 2013; 49(7): 1833-43.

O'Callaghan C, Hodges JR and Hornberger M. Inhibitory dysfunction in frontotemporal dementia: a review. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, 2013; 27(2):102-08

Nguyen, T, Bertoux M, O’Callaghan, C, Ahmed S,  Hodges JR and Hornberger M. Grey and white matter brain network changes in frontotemporal dementia subtypes. Translational Neuroscience, 4 (4): 410-418, 2013.

Kamminga J, O’Callaghan C, Hodges JR and Irish M. Differential prospective memory profiles in frontotemporal dementia syndromes. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2014; 38, 669-679.

Bertoux M, Funkiewiez A, O'Callaghan C, Dubois B and Hornberger M. Sensitivity and specificity of ventromedial prefrontal cortex tests in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. Alzheimer's & dementia, 2013; 9 (5, Supplement): S84-S94.

Kloeters S, Bertoux M, O'Callaghan C, Hodges JR and Hornberger M. Money for nothing–Atrophy correlates of gambling decision making in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease. NeuroImage: Clinical, 2013; 2: 263-72

Conference presentations

O'Callaghan C, Shine JM, Hodges JR, Lewis SJG and Hornberger, M. Neural substrates of impulse control: Insights from neurodegenerative disease. ACNS 2013 - The 4th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, November 28-December 1, 2013.

O’Callaghan C, Shine JM, Hodges JR, Lewis SJG and Hornberger M. Neural substrates of impulse control: insights from neurodegenerative disease. 41st Annual Coast Association Tow Research Awards, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia, 22 November, 2013.

O’Callaghan C, Lewis SJG, Bertoux M, Hodges JR and Hornberger M. Exploring the fronto-striatal contributions to economic decision-making. Federation of European Societies of Neuropsychology, Berlin, Germany, September 12-14, 2013.

Where are they now?

Ms O'Callaghan aims to submit her PhD Thesis in 2015.

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Last updated
3 January 2024