Dr Laura McWhirter

Consultant Neuropsychiatrist and Clinical Research Fellow

Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences

Email: laura.mcwhirter@ed.ac.uk

Street: University of Edinburgh,
Royal Edinburgh Hospital,
Morningside Terrace
City: Edinburgh
Post code: EH10 5HF

Biography

Background

Laura McWhirter graduated MBChB from the University of Edinburgh in 2008, having taken an unusual route to medicine after a degree in music from the University of York in 2001. Dr McWhirter completed specialist training in General Adult and Liaison Psychiatry in South East Scotland in June 2018. Her research is primarily in the areas of Functional Neurological Disorders, cognitive disorders, and brain injury.

Qualifications

MBChB - University of Edinburgh, 2008

BA (Hons) in Music - University of York, 2001

PhD - 'Understanding functional cognitive disorder phenotypes in the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease' - 2021

Responsibilities & affiliations

Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists - 2012

Member of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh) - 2011

Secretary of the British Neuropsychiatry Association (2021 - present)

Research

Research summary

Laura McWhirter's research interests are in cognitive disorders, functional neurological disorders, and brain injury.

Current research interests

Dr McWhirter's current primary research project aims to describe various clinical phenotypes in Long COVID.

Past research interests

Somatosensory attention in functional neurological disorders, Foreign Accent Syndrome, transcranial magnetic stimulation, the history of physical treatments for functional neurological disorder.

Projects

Current project grants

Clinical Phenotyping Of Prolonged Cognitive Symptoms After COVID-19 (Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office) (2021-23)

Past project grants

Baillie Gifford Clinical Research Fellowship (2018-21)

Publications

Brain Health Services: organization, structure, and challenges for implementation. A user manual for Brain Health Services—part 1 of 6 11 Oct 2021 In: Alzheimer's research & therapy, vol. 13
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-021-00827-2
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Identifying functional cognitive disorder: A proposed diagnostic risk model 17 Sep 2021 In: CNS Spectrums
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852921000845
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Reply: Functional cognitive disorder: dementia’s blind spot 16 Aug 2021 In: Brain
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awab305
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Letter (E-pub ahead of print)
Suspecting dementia: canaries, chameleons and zebras 2 Jul 2021 In: Practical Neurology, pp. practneurol-2021-003019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/practneurol-2021-003019
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Management of functional communication, swallowing, cough and related disorders: consensus recommendations for speech and language therapy 1 Jul 2021 In: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, pp. jnnp-2021-326767
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2021-326767
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
The frequency and framing of cognitive lapses in healthy adults 22 Jan 2021 In: CNS Spectrums, pp. 1-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852920002096
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
A practical review of functional neurological disorder (FND) for the general physician (9 pages) Jan 2021 In: Clinical Medicine, vol. 21, pp. 28-36
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmed.2020-0987
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article (Published)
Testing the ‘seizure scaffold’: What can experimental simulation tell us about functional seizures? 17 Nov 2020 In: Epilepsy & Behavior, vol. 113
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107518
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
I think, therefore I forget - using experimental simulation of dementia to understand functional cognitive disorders (8 pages) 30 Aug 2020 In: CNS Spectrums, vol. 25, pp. 511 - 518
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852919001329
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Performance validity test failure in clinical populations—a systematic review 10 Jul 2020 In: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, vol. 91, pp. 945–952
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2020-323776
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Functional cognitive disorders: a systematic review Feb 2020 In: The Lancet Psychiatry, vol. 7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30405-5
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Functional neurological disorder and personal injury (126 pages) 2020 In: Journal of Personal Injury Law, pp. 115
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Understanding foreign accent syndrome 2 Nov 2019 In: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, vol. 90, pp. jnnp-2018-319842
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2018-319842
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Improving Diagnosis in Cognitive Disorders 24 Apr 2019 In: protocols.io
DOI: https://doi.org/dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.z97f99n
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Attention and sensation in functional motor disorder 1 Nov 2017 In: Neuropsychologia, vol. 106, pp. 207-215
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.09.031
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Chapter 28 – Functional coma 17 Oct 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-801772-2.00028-X
Research output: › Chapter (Published)
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a treatment for Functional (Psychogenic) Upper Limb Weakness. 1 Oct 2016 In: Journal of Psychosomatic Research, vol. 89, pp. 102-106
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2016.08.010
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Hoover's sign for the diagnosis of functional weakness: A prospective unblinded cohort study in patients with suspected stroke (3 pages) 1 Dec 2011 In: Journal of Psychosomatic Research, vol. 71, pp. 384-386
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.09.003
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
A case report of inpatient detoxification after kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) dependence (3 pages) 2010 In: European addiction research, vol. 16, pp. 229-231
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000320288
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)

View all 19 publications on Research Explorer

This article was published on 22 Sep, 2022