Andi holds a Masters in Neuropsychology (awarded at The University of Bristol, UK) and is in his final year of his PhD at The University of Sydney. He is interested in modelling emotion processing in AD and bvFTD using graph theory and data driven analysis. His research focuses on exploring possible cognitive function and affective constructs (mood, motivation) that may underlie impairment of emotion in dementia. He is a recipient of Australian Awards Scholarship from DFAT Australia.
Forefront Group: FRONTIER Research Group
Supervisors:
Professor Olivier Piguet, Associate Professor Fiona Kumfor
Expertise:
Affiliate Organisations
The University of Sydney
Neurodegeneration of interest:
bvFTD, AD Emotion Processing
Specific Skills:
Project - Computational Architecture of Emotion Processing in Younger Onset Dementia
Project tag with a disease
Dementia, AD, bvFTD
Research Project Description
Disturbances of emotion processing in AD and bvFTD are complex phenomena that require formalization which will help identify the component that supports them. Many variables such as cognitive functions and motivation contribute to the disturbance of emotion processing in these clinical population. To understand them better, we need to examine them in parallel, not in describing the phenomena in a one-to-one relationship. Therefore, we need to model their emotion architecture. By formalizing emotion processing as a model, we would be able to see the chain of changes that is what happened to the emotion, when cognitive functions were broken? Or what happened to emotions when dementia patients have lost their motivation? Or what happened to emotion when both cognition and motivation are declining?
Andi’s PhD project investigates and compares the computational architecture underlying emotion processing in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). The goal of his PhD is to build theoretical models of emotion that are ecologically valid for AD and bvFTD. The modelling processes implemented in this body of works are implemented incrementally based on the clinical test data that are commonly used as screening instruments in dementia clinics. The project also compares the model of emotion processing based on the existing theories.