PhD student Steffani Carrera

Steffani’s project is asking:

How are mood symptoms like anxiety related to Lewy body progression?

People living with Lewy body dementia experience a wide range of symptoms, including changes in memory, movement, sleep and mood.

Among these, anxiety is a particularly common and distressing symptom which often appears in earlier stages and may influence how the condition progresses.

Tell us about your project

My work aims to better understand how anxiety relates to brain changes and disease progression in Lewy body dementia, and to use data-driven computational modelling to uncover subtypes of this condition. 

Overall, I aim to better understand why people with Lewy body dementia experience such diverse symptoms and disease courses, with the goal of improving diagnosis and care.

My project will have four stages:

• The first part will investigate how anxiety relates to changes in the brain in people with Lewy body dementia, using high-quality MRI scans. This work involves examining both the outer surface of the brain (grey matter), deeper brain structures, and the connections between different brain regions to see whether people with higher levels of anxiety show distinct patterns of brain changes.
• The second experiment will use a large NHS memory clinic dataset to explore whether early-stage anxiety can help predict who later develops Lewy body dementia, and if anxious people experience faster decline once the disease begins. This will help to understand whether anxiety could act as an early warning sign or risk factor for Lewy body dementia.
• The latter half of my PhD will build on these findings by applying computational models to identify the sequence of symptom changes in Lewy body dementia and to define distinct subtypes using advanced machine learning techniques.  
• Finally, I will use machine learning to identify different subtypes of Lewy body dementia, revealing groups of people who share similar symptoms or brain changes. Distinguishing these subtypes could help predict how the disease progresses and may lead to more personalised diagnosis and treatment in the future.

How will this research impact people living with dementia?

The findings will improve understanding of how mood symptoms such as anxiety are linked to the brain changes of dementia. My research aims to contribute to earlier diagnosis, more accurate prediction of disease course, and more personalised approaches to treatment and support. Ultimately, my goal is to improve the quality of life and care for people affected by Lewy body dementia and their loved ones.

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

To me, being part of an Alzheimer’s Society training centre means belonging to a community that values both scientific excellence and compassion. Working alongside dedicated researchers and clinicians is a powerful reminder that my work is part of a wider collective effort to understand dementia and improve the lives of those affected.  

I feel honoured to be involved in this shared commitment to turn research into better outcomes, increased understanding and earlier diagnoses for people living with dementia.