Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Toronto / Rotman Research Institute
PhD Clinical Psychology
Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia (2020)
MSc Clinical Psychology
Trinity College Dublin (2014)
Honours BSc. Psychology
Trinity College Dublin (2013)
Contacts:
gcoughlan@research.baycrest.org
I completed a Bachelor’s in Psychology (Hons) (2009-2013) and a Masters in Clinical Psychology at Trinity College Dublin (2013-2014). I became fascinated with cognitive neuroscience during my studies of cognitive ageing at Trinity Institute of Neuroscience (2014-2016). I then went on to work as a visiting researcher at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge (2016/2019) and completed a 3-year PhD at Norwich Medical School in UEA (Jan 2020), investigating spatial navigation as a novel diagnostic marker for preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. My current post-doctoral research examines how various neurodegenerative biomarkers (including brain pathology and genetics) influence functional dynamics in the medial temporal lobe, as well as cognition in the memory and spatial navigation domain.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Toronto / Rotman Research Institute
Supervisors: Professors Morris Moscovitch and
Chery
Grady
A range of research and academic
roles including data analysis, publishing,
peer reviewing papers and graduate
student supervision.
Assistant Tutor, School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, UK
Supervisor: Dr Louis Renoult
Third year undergraduate module Brain
and Cognition
Visiting Researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
PI:
Dr Kai Ruggeri
Cogentia Healthcare Consulting funded study ‘Shining a light on NICE: A review of the appeal and judicial review
processes’ Thematic data analysis and report writing
Visiting Researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK
PI:
Professor John Simons
Collaborative research project between the University of Cambridge and
Norwich
Medical School
Research Coordinator, School of Psychology, University of Limerick, Ireland
PIs: Prof Sue Franklin and Dr
Elaine Kinsella
Acquired
Brain Injury Ireland funded study ‘Better together:
A joined-up approach to health, well-being and
rehabilitation‘‘Towards Unsupervised Remote Therapy for
Individuals with Aphasia’ Cognitive testing and project management
Assistant Clinical
Psychologist, Community Adult Mental Health Dublin, Ireland
Supervisor:
Dr Lucy Moore
Duties: Assess patients to place them in the appropriate group therapy
programmes
and assist with providing therapeutic interventions.
Duration: 8 months
Psychology Intern, Trinity Institute of Neuroscience Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Supervisor: Dr Caoimhe Hannigan
The Atlantic Philanthropies and Irish Research Council funded study ‘‘The NEIL Memory Research Unit: psychosocial,
biological, physiological and lifestyle factors associated with healthy ageing’’
Cognitive testing and EEG administration
2020: Soupcoff Family Research
Grant (CAN$4500)
2019: ARUK Travel & Pump Priming
grant (£500)
2019: Interdem publication
of the month (April 2019)
2018: DST INSPIRE
Fellowship: Newton-Bhabha PhD Placement Grant 1 month (£2500)
2016: Norwich
Medical School Admissions Award (£65000)
2012: Undergraduate
Presidents
letter for excellence in academic achievements (Straight A’s)
April 2018: Alzheimer's &
Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association
May 2019: Neurobiological of
Aging
July 2019: Frontiers in
Neural Circuits
May 2020: WIREs Cognitive
Science
July 2020: Journal of
Personalised Medicine
Aug 2020: Cortex
Aug 2020: Journal of Clinical
Medicine
Aug 2020: Current Biology
(reviewed jointly with Prof Moscovitch)
Coughlan, G., Zhukovsky, P., Puthusseryppady, V., Gillings, R.,
Minihane, A.M., Cameron, D., Hornberger, M. (2020). Functional connectivity between the entorhinal and posterior
cingulate cortices underpin navigation discrepancies in at-risk Alzheimer’s
disease. Neurobiology of Aging 90, 110-118.
Coughlan, G., Puthusseryppady, V., Lowry, E., Gillings, R.
Hugo, S., Minihane, A., Hornberger, M. (Accepted) Test-re-test reliability of
Spatial Navigation Index in a nonclinical sample with at-risk Alzheimer’s
disease, PLOS ONE.
Coughlan, G., Coutrot, A., Khondoker, M.,
Minihane, A., Spiers, H., Hornberger, M., (2019) Towards personalised cognitive
diagnostics of ‘at-genetic-risk’ Alzheimer’s disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences116(19), 9285-9292.
Coughlan, G., Laczó, J.,
Hort, J., Minihane, A., Hornberger, M. (2018)
Spatial navigation deficits – the overlooked cognitive fingerprint for
incipient Alzheimer pathophysiology? Nature Reviews Neurology
14(8), 496-506.
Coughlan, G., Flanagan, E.,
Jeffs, S., Bertoux, M., Spiers, H., Mioshi, E., Hornberger. M,, (2018) Diagnostic relevance of spatial orientation for vascular dementia
A case study. Dementia &
Neuropsychologica12(1), 85–91.
Coughlan, G., Igou. E Kinsella, E. Van Tilburg, W. (2016)
Boredom Proneness Boosts Hero Evaluations: The Role of Meaning Search. The Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 59(4): 455-473.
Lowry, E., Puthusseryppady, V., Coughlan, G., Jeffs, S., Renoult, L., Hornberger, M.
(2020) Path Integration Changes as a Cognitive Marker for Vascular Cognitive
Impairment? A Pilot Study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14, 131.
Mekala, S., Paplikar, A., Mioshi, E., Kaul, S., Divyaraj, G., Coughlan, G., ... & Narayan, S. (2020). Dementia Diagnosis in Seven Languages: The Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-III in India. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology.
Pertesi, S., Coughlan, G., Puthusseryppady, V., Hornberger, M. (2019)
Menopause, Cognition, Dementia - a review. Post
Reproductive Health, 25(4), 200-206.
Puthusseryppady, V., Coughlan, G., Patel, M., Hornberger, M. (2019) Geospatial analysis of environmental
risk factors for missing dementia patients. Journal
of Alzheimer’s Disease71 (3), 1005-1013.
Coughlan, G., Larsen, R., Kim, M., White, D., Gillings, R., Irvine, M., Scholey, A., Cohen, N., Legido Quigley, C.,Hornberger, M., Minihane, A. (in submission). APOE4 disrupts docosahexaenoic
acid associations with entorhinal-hippocampal brain volume and navigation
performance Neurology
Zhukovsky, P., Anderson,J., Coughlan, G., Mulsant, B., Cipriani, A., Voineskos, A., (in submission) Coordinate-based network mapping of brain structure in
late-life depression and major depressive disorder: a systematic review and analysis
The functional gradient of the medial
temporal lobe across the AD continuum. Rotman
Research Institute, Baycrest, 16 June 2020, 15:30 – 16:00, Toronto, Canada.
Cognitive features of disrupted neural
networks in asymptomatic Alzheimer's disease and Vascular dementia:Using spatial navigation and cognitive
control for early detection. Baycrest, 12 March
2020, 11:30 – 12:30 & University of Toronto, 13 March 2020, 11:00-12.30,
Toronto, Canada.
Personalised Prognosis of Alzheimer’s
Disease Dementia: Harnessing the Power of Big Data TEDx
Vienna, Halle E + G BetriebsgmbH Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien, 18 Oct 2019
Austria.
The
utility of spatial navigation to distinguish between preclinical Alzheimer
disease, Vascular dementia and FTD and the neuroprotective mechanisms of marine
oils for cognition in old age. Department of Psychology,
University of Toronto, Ebbinghaus Empire Meeting, 22 May 2019 10:30 – 12:00
Canada.
Preclinical
Alzheimer's disease: developing new cognitive diagnostic tools.
Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge.
Organised by Prof John Simons, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute,
16 April 2019 3:00 – 4:00 UK
Navigation and dementia –
diagnostic and everyday implications. International
Navigation Conference 2018, Navigation Challenges and Societal Benefits. Organised by Prof Kate Jefferies, Conference session: Cognition in Navigation.
Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, Bristol. 13 Nov 2018 11:10 – 11:35 UK
Understanding the Clinical Application of Sea
Hero Quest.
Sea Hero Quest Conference 2018, University
College London, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences. Organised by Prof
Hugo Spiers. 23 Oct 2018 13:10 –
13:35 UK
Computational insights to SHQ game. Computing Science Workshop,
University of Aberdeen, Organised by Prof Alison Murray as part of the Medical
Research Council Global Mental Health Award. 20 Sep 2018 12:10 – 12:30 Scotland
Maps,
monsters and mazes in the fight against dementia. Cambridge Science Festival, Wolfson
Lecture Theatre, University of Cambridge, Organised by ARUK, Seminar Series on
Making Sense of the Brain. 12 March 2018 18:00 – 18:40 UK
Poster: The Impact of APOE & Sex on
Spatial Navigation in Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease. Cambridge Memory Meeting,
Cambridge. Organised by Prof John Simons. 22 May 2018 UK
Poster:Reduced entorhinal and posterior cingulate cortices connectivity
associated with boundary-based navigation in at-risk Alzheimer's disease. The Canadian Neuroscience
Meeting. Organised by the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, The Sheraton Hotel, Toronto. 24 May 2019 Canada
TEDx
Talk TEDx Vienna Halle E + G BetriebsgmbH Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien, 18 Oct
2019 Austria.
Future Tech Roadshow, Norfolk
and Waveney. Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich. Organised by
Research and Innovation Services at UEA. 26 April 2019 13:00 13:15 UK
Cambridge Science Festival, Wolfson Lecture Theatre, University of Cambridge. 26 April 2019 UK
Barclays Enterprise and Innovation, Enterprise Centre, UEA. 15 April 2018 UK
British
Broadcast Channel (BBC) Gender Differences in Navigation Ability. 15 Oct 2019
London UK