About
38
Publications
1,570
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
84
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
Research Scientist at Linus Health and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. My work focuses on measuring personalised brain health outcomes and early detection of Alzheimer's disease. As part of my PhD in Clinical Brain Sciences, I conducted a longitudinal cohort study looking at risk disclosure in the mild cognitive impairment population. For several years, I worked in AD clinical trials and my educational background is in Clinical Psychology (MSc and MSc by Research).
Additional affiliations
October 2022 - March 2023
The University of Edinburgh
Position
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Description
- I am a co-investigator on a Sony funded grant developing speech-based early detection tools for Alzheimer’s disease.
March 2021 - present
Scottish Dementia Research Consortium
Position
- Member of the Executive Committee
Description
- I am elected to the Scottish Dementia Research Consortium (SDRC) Executive Committee, the role involves contributing to setting the organisation's overall objectives and promoting the research community in Scotland. The SDRC is a network of over 900 dementia and brain health researchers in Scotland.
August 2017 - October 2022
The University of Edinburgh
Position
- Doctoral Research Assistant
Description
- In parallel to my PhD studies, I worked across various Alzheimer's disease clinical trials (both CTIMPs and non-CTIMPs) including protocol development, obtaining ethics approvals, set-up, trial coordination and delivery (most recently the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia (EPAD) Scotland study). I was also one of the founders for the electronic Person Specific Outcome Measure (ePSOM) development programme, aiming to capture clinically meaningful changes in Alzheimer's disease.
Education
May 2017 - October 2022
September 2013 - March 2015
September 2011 - June 2013
Publications
Publications (38)
Background
Speech impairments are an early feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and consequently, analysing speech performance is a promising new digital biomarker for AD screening. Future clinical AD trials on disease modifying drugs will require a shift to very early identification of individuals at risk of dementia. Hence, digital markers of lang...
Introduction: Tens of millions of people worldwide will develop Alzheimer's disease (AD), and only by intervening early in the preclinical disease can we make a fundamental difference to the rates of late-stage disease where clinical symptoms and societal burden manifest. However, collectively utilizing data, samples, and knowledge amassed by large...
Both research and clinical practice have traditionally centred on the dementia syndrome of Alzheimer's disease rather than its preclinical and prodromal stages. However, there is a strong scientific and ethical impetus to shift focus to earlier disease stages to improve brain health outcomes and help to keep affected individuals symptom-free (demen...
Both research and clinical practice have traditionally centred on the dementia syndrome of Alzheimer's disease rather than its preclinical and prodromal stages. However, there is a strong scientific and ethical impetus to shift focus to earlier disease stages to improve brain health outcomes and help to keep affected individuals symptom-free (demen...
Introduction
Regulatory bodies recommend that outcome measures used in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical trials capture clinically meaningful changes for the trial participant. However, commonly used outcome measures do not reflect the individual’s views on what matters to them individually. The aim of the electronic Person-Specific Outcome Measure...
![Routine investigations carried out in MCI: [1] Clinical history...](publication/357781798/figure/fig1/AS:1146404173037573@1650335462517/Routine-investigations-carried-out-in-MCI-1-Clinical-history-including-functional_Q320.jpg)
![Standard management plans for MCI: [1] Risk reduction advice, Monitor &...](publication/357781798/figure/fig3/AS:1146404173021185@1650335462561/Standard-management-plans-for-MCI-1-Risk-reduction-advice-Monitor-Follow-up-2_Q320.jpg)
Background
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition that exists between normal healthy ageing and dementia with an uncertain aetiology and prognosis. This uncertainty creates a complex dynamic between the clinicians’ conception of MCI, what is communicated to the individual about their condition, and how the individual responds to the informa...
![Fig. 3 Standard management plans for MCI: [1] Risk reduction advice,...](profile/Stina-Saunders/publication/357473642/figure/fig1/AS:1141832834662400@1649245570596/Standard-management-plans-for-MCI-1-Risk-reduction-advice-Monitor-Follow-up-2_Q320.jpg)
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a state between normal healthy ageing and dementia with an uncertain prognosis. This uncertainty creates a complex dynamic between the clinicians’ conception of MCI, what is communicated to the individual about their condition, and how the individual perceives the information conveyed to them. The aim of this stud...
Regulatory bodies recommend that outcome measures used in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical trials capture clinically meaningful changes for the trial participant. However, commonly used cognitive outcomes are limited in this regard. The aim of the electronic Person‐Specific Outcome Measure (ePSOM) programme is to better understand what outcomes ma...
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition with slight decline in cognition, but unaffected daily functioning. Given its uncertain prognosis, communicating this in clinical consultations with patients is crucial. Our aim was to understand the impact of clinical risk reporting to individuals with newly identified MCI, focusing on changes in cogn...
In light of the COVID‐19 pandemic, it is increasingly likely that researchers will adopt home‐based remote administration of cognitive tests for the continuation of clinical studies. Yet, there are limited data on the reliability of remotely administered cognitive assessments compared to in‐person. Specifically, cross‐modal reliability of the RBANS...
As Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical trials move to an earlier phase in the neurodegenerative disease process, any outcome measures used to assess an intervention’s efficacy would need to be appropriate for the earlier pre‐clinical or prodromal study population. Evidence suggests that 40% of dementia cases could be prevented by targeting modifiable...
Background:
It is important to use outcome measures for novel interventions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) that capture the research participants' views of effectiveness. The electronic Person-Specific Outcome Measure (ePSOM) development programme is underpinned by the need to identify and detect change in early disease manifestations and the possibi...
Background:
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) describes a borderland between healthy cognition and dementia. Progression to and reversion from MCI is relatively common but more research is required to understand the factors affecting this fluidity and improve clinical care interventions.
Objective:
We explore these transitions in MCI status and th...
The ePSOM programme is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and Alzheimer’s Research UK. prompted by the recognition that outcome measures currently used in clinical trials in prodromal and preclinical neurodegenerative diseases do not capture the research participants’ views of effectiveness. This led to a 4‐stage programme. [1] Evi...
The ePSOM development programme is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and Alzheimer’s Research UK prompted by the recognition that outcome measures currently used in clinical trials in prodromal and preclinical neurodegenerative diseases do not capture the research participants’ views of effectiveness. A better understanding of ear...
The ePSOM programme, a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and Alzheimer’s Research UK,was prompted by the recognition that outcome measures currently used in clinical trials in prodromal and preclinical neurodegenerative diseases do not capture the research participants’ views of effectiveness. This 4‐stage programme involved an evid...
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a term applied to people who have memory problems that do not impact on daily function. It is assumed that earlier identification of neurodegenerative disease will lead to earlier treatment which may be more effective and which could modify the trajectory of decline. Because of shortcomings in disease identificati...
Background
Including participants in patient and public involvement activities is increasingly acknowledged as a key pillar of successful research activity. Such activities can influence recruitment and retention, as well as researcher experience and contribute to decision making in research studies. However, there are few established methodologies...
Background
Patient, public and participant involvement (PPPI) is increasingly acknowledged as a key pillar of successful research activity. PPPI can influence recruitment and retention, as well as researcher experience and contribute to decision making in research studies. However, there are few established methodologies of how to set up and manage...
Background: Including participants in patient and public involvement activities is increasingly acknowledged as a key pillar of successful research activity. Such activities can influence recruitment and retention, as well as researcher experience and contribute to decision making in research studies. However, there are few established methodologie...
Background
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is recognized as one of the greatest global public health challenges. There is increasing consensus that optimal disease modification using pharmaceuticals may best be achieved earlier in the disease continuum before symptoms occur. However, more needs to be understood about what outcomes are meaningful to potent...
Introduction
Current pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer's dementia delay symptom progression for about a year. Although the outcomes in earlier disease states may include changes in biomarkers, the clinical effectiveness of any intervention can ultimately only be assessed by a patient's self-reported well-being. A better understanding of e...
Aim:
Despite the growing importance of public and patient involvement in biomedical research, comparatively little attention has been paid to the important role of research participants themselves. Our aim in this paper is to explore the impact research participant involvement has within the PREVENT and the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Demen...
This was an invited talk to present the EPAD model of involving research participants as partners in longitudinal cohort studies
This was an invited talk to present the EPAD model of involving research participants as partners in longitudinal cohort studies
The term mild cognitive impairment has been associated with a varying degree of clinical utility and controversy. The concept has been introduced to try and define a pre-dementia period associated with underlying neurodegenerative pathology and a higher likelihood of the person developing a dementia syndrome. As scientific understanding improves th...
Projects
Projects (3)
The aim of the ePSOM programme is to better understand what outcomes matter to patients in the Alzheimer’s disease population with a focus on those at the pre-dementia stages of disease. Ultimately, we aim to develop an app with robust psychometric properties to be used as a patient reported outcome measure in AD clinical trials.
2.1.1 Primary Objective
1. To undertake an observational cohort study investigating the impact of test, risk and diagnostic disclosures during the course of the consultation process, focusing on changes in cognition, anxiety, psychological well-being and adjustment to illness.
2.1.2 Secondary Objectives
2. To relate patient, clinician and service-level factors to subsequent cognitive and functional
outcomes
3. To involve a subset of participants in a qualitative study to understand the experience of being referred to a memory assessment service and during the consultation process receiving information about test results
4. To explore clinician’s views on the concept of MCI and conveying risk information around
neurodegenerative disease
