1. Clinical Neuroscience: Alzheimer’s disease & cognitive impairment in older adults
Katharine James
Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit
Division of Geriatric Medicine
Department of Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Cape Town
Networking the Brain · UCT Cortex Club Inaugural Symposium · November 2014

2. Alzheimer’s disease & cognitive impairment in older adults
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit
Neurodegenerative disorders and cognitive functioning in older adults
Factors associated with cognitive impairment in older adults from a South African population, e.g. psychosocial & physiological stress, ApoE4, beta-amyloid, and hippocampal volume
2 | Katharine James| Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit| Alzheimer’s disease| 7 November 2014

3. Research I am involved in…
Past work: risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease
Current work: delirium & cognitive impairment in older adults
Future work: non-pharmacological interventions for mild cognitive impairment in older adults
3 | Katharine James| Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit| Alzheimer’s disease| 7 November 2014

4. Why it’s important
Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia in developed countries and probably also in the developing world
Dearth of research into age-related diseases in South Africa, despite a growing ageing population
Neuroimaging studies relatively new in our context, specifically with patients of older age
First research projects of this nature in South Africa, where diseases of older persons are largely ignored and should provide new insights into the roles and interactions of psychosocial and biological factors in the pathogenesis of the disease
4 | Katharine James| Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit| Alzheimer’s disease| 7 November 2014

5. How we are conducting our research
5 | Katharine James| Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit| Alzheimer’s disease| 7 November 2014

6. Why Neuroscience? Rapidly emerging Truly multidisciplinary subject
Seeking to understand the most complex organ of the body
6 | Katharine James| Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit| Alzheimer’s disease| 7 November 2014

7. My career path
Research & clinical background: undergraduate and postgraduate training in psychology and clinical neuropsychology.
Interest in asking and exploring questions  PhD in Psychology
Additional courses: GCP, Clinical Science and Clinical Research Methods
Funding journey: UCT, NRF and external funding – apply for all relevant funding opportunities
Future of my research:
Demonstrated the feasibility and practicalities of utilizing certain methods
Laying down a platform for further research in this field to continue
Include larger and more varied population groups
7 | Katharine James| Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit| Alzheimer’s disease| 7 November 2014

8. The future of Neuroscience at UCT
How our unit can contribute to building neuroscience research at UCT:
Team of individuals passionate about understanding and identifying clinical and pathophysiological aspects of neurodegenerative disorders
Experience in both clinical and research settings
Expertise with neurocognitive assessments
Experience with neuroimaging post-processing (automated and manual techniques)
Pursuing non-pharmacological interventions for mild cognitive impairment
Interested in collaborating on other projects that may relate to these areas
Ideas for neuroscience at UCT:
A broad base of early-career and experienced researchers in this field at UCT  let’s harness these opportunities, facilitate networking and join forces to produce truly outstanding and innovative neuroscience research
8 | Katharine James| Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit| Alzheimer’s disease| 7 November 2014

9. Acknowledgements University of Cape Town
Division of Geriatric Medicine
Department of Psychology
Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit
Funding sources
National Research Foundation
Ernst & Ethel Eriksen Trust
9 | Katharine James| Clinical Neurosciences Research Unit| Alzheimer’s disease| 7 November 2014