PhD student Amelia Ikwue

Amelia’s project is asking:

Does iron build up in the brain impact memory and thinking?

In its early stages, symptoms of Lewy body dementia can be similar to Alzheimer’s disease. However, people living with Lewy body dementia often experience additional symptoms such as movement difficulties, sleep disturbances and visual hallucinations.

Diagnosing Lewy body dementia heavily relies on recognising these later symptoms, but biological ‘markers’ (changes in the body that can be measured) could help doctors diagnose this disease earlier.

There’s an urgent need to identify biological markers to help doctors diagnose Lewy body dementia earlier and more accurately, as well as to better understand what drives the disease.

Tell us about your project

My project will study the processes that cause brain cell damage and memory decline in Lewy body dementia. Traditionally, research has focused on the abnormal build-up of proteins into sticky lumps in brain cells called ‘Lewy bodies’. These were long thought to be toxic and to damage and kill brain cells. However, more recent evidence suggests the story is more complex, with some studies indicating that Lewy bodies even protect brain cells rather than being the direct cause of damage. 

Lack of understanding about whether Lewy bodies are harmful or protective highlights why my study is needed to help address what causes damage to the brain in Lewy body dementia. Scans have shown iron build-up in the brain, which can be a sign of damage to the brain, and we aim to study this in more detail in post-mortem brain tissue.

During my PhD I will:

• Analyse brain scans to see where iron builds up in people with Lewy body dementia, and whether this relates to changes in memory and thinking.
• Examine post-mortem brain tissue to study how iron, protein build-up, cell damage and loss are connected.
• Combine these approaches to understand whether iron-related damage is a key driver of dementia in people affected by Lewy body dementia.

I aim to study a broad range of people, ensuring that different genders, ethnicities and backgrounds are reflected. By embedding equality, diversity and inclusion practices into my research, I want to make sure that the findings benefit everyone affected by Lewy body dementia – not just a small subset of the population.

How will this research impact people living with dementia?

Improving our understanding of the root causes of Lewy body dementia will guide the search for new treatments, including therapies aimed at reducing oxidative stress or iron-related damage. Second, identifying reliable biological markers could help doctors diagnose LBD earlier and more accurately. This would give patients and families more clarity, better support, and potentially earlier access to interventions.

What does it mean to you to be a part of this Doctoral Training Centre?

Being a part of this Doctoral Training Centre means that I’m part of a united research community.

We have a collective goal of understanding dementia and will collaborate towards reducing the impact and eventually curing this disease.