Laura Sherlock

Thesis title: Enabling large simple trials for dementia prevention

Year of study: 2

  • Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences
  • Edinburgh Neuroscience

Contact details

Biography

Background

I am a PhD student at the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, funded by the Chief Scientist Office, and supervised by Dr William Whiteley.  My PhD is focusing on the effect of different analytic techniques on cognitive outcomes in prevention of vascular cognitive impairment. I have a background in psychology, having studied for both my undergraduate and post-graduate degrees at the University of Edinburgh.  Before starting my PhD I worked for several years as a research assistant and clinical trial coordinator in the area of neurodegenerative diseases in Edinburgh and Cambridge. 

Qualifications

MSc Pychological Research 

MA Psychology

Research summary

Exploring the potential reasons why vascular risk reduction has little or no effect on cognition in RCTs, in order to inform future dementia prevention trials.

Past research interests

Neurodegenerative disease, Huntington's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Dementia, Cognition

Knowledge exchange

Publications: 

Leighton, D., Newton, J., Colville, S., Bethell, A., Craig, G., Cunningham, L.,  Flett, M., Fraser, D., Hatrick, J., Lennox, H., Marshall, L., Mcaleer, D., Mceleney, A., Millar, K., Silver, A., Stephenson, L., Stewart, S., Storey, D., Stott, G., Thornton, C., Webber, C., Gordon, H., Melchiorre, G., Sherlock, L.,  Beswick, E., Buchanan, D., Abrahams, S., Bateman, A., Preston, J., Duncan, C., Davenport, R., Gorrie, G., Morrison, I., Swingler, R., Chandran, & Pal, S. (2019). Clinical audit research and evaluation of motor neuron disease (CARE-MND): a national electronic platform for prospective, longitudinal monitoring of MND in Scotland. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 1-9.

Nuttall, A. M., Ayaz, E., Sherlock, L., & Shenkin, S. D. (2015). Maternity records in Edinburgh and Aberdeen in 1936: a comparison. The journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 45(1), 76-83.

Presentations:

Sherlock, L., Lee, S.F., Katsanos, A., Cukierman-Yaffe, T., Muniz-Terrera, G., Canavan, M., Joundi, R., Shoamanesh, A., Derix, A., Menta, A., Gerstein, H., Hart, R., Yusuf, S., O'Donnell, M., Bosch, J., Whiteley, W.  Cognition after stroke, TIA, MI and hospitlaisation: An individual participant meta-analysis of six randomised controlled trials. Oral Presentation at ESOC 2022. 

Posters: 

Sherlock, L., Mason, S. Barker, R. The Contribution of Motor Speed to Performance on Cognitive Processing Tasks in Huntington’s Disease. Poster presentation at the 2018 European Huntington’s Disease Network meeting.

Leighton, D., Manson, L., McHutchison, L., Sherlock, L., Newton, J., Stephenson, L., Colville, S., Abrahams, S., Chandran, S., Pal, S. Premorbid neuropsychiatric disease in patients with motor neurone disease in Scotland. Poster presentation at the 2017  European Network to Cure ALS meeting and at the 2017  British Neuropsychiatry Association AGM.

Sherlock, L., Starr, J.M., Deary, I.J., Shenkin, S. Early life influences on childhood cognitive ability: Lanarkshire 1936. Poster presentation at the 2012 CCACE  Annual Research Day.

Public engagement: 

2019: Parkinson’s Disease Open Day, John Van Geest Centre for Brain Repair

2019: Cambridge Science Festival 

2018: Huntington’s Disease Open Day, John Van Geest Centre for Brain Repair

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