PhD student Daisy Rusdale

Daisy's project asks:

Can we use EEG to identify and understand delirium in people with Lewy body dementia?

One of the most challenging features about Lewy body dementia is delirium, a sudden worsening of confusion, awareness, or attention, which can be very distressing for both patients and families.

At present, delirium in people with Lewy body dementia is often under-recognised, because symptoms can fluctuate and overlap with the underlying dementia.

Tell us about your project

My PhD aims to explore whether changes in brain activity could be used as a biomarker for delirium in Lewy body dementia. 

Brain activity is already monitored in hospitals for seizures and sleep disorders using an EEG, sensors that are applied to the scalp. EEG could also be used to learn more about brain changes in dementia. For example, people with Lewy body dementia often show a slowing of brain wave patterns compared to Alzheimer’s disease.

What we don’t yet know is whether additional changes appear during delirium episodes, and whether these could be measured consistently.

How will this research impact people living with dementia?

If EEG can provide a reliable marker for delirium in Lewy body dementia, clinicians could identify delirium episodes earlier, leading to faster treatment. Families and carers could better understand sudden changes in behaviour or alertness. 

Ultimately, better recognition and management of delirium could improve quality of life and outcomes for people with Lewy body dementia. 

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

Being in the Doctoral Training Centre means access to expert mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration and a shared mission to deliver research that directly benefits people affected by dementia. For me, it also reflects the importance of working in partnership with families, clinicians and researchers.

It’s a privilege to be part of a community dedicated to tackling dementia from different angles.