Biography
Professor John O’Brien leads the Old Age Psychiatry Research Group which is part of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. His own research focusses on the study of dementia, especially Lewy body dementia, and uses a number of methodologies to try to improve the diagnosis and management of these disorders. In particular, utilising multi-modal imaging with MRI, MEG and novel PET and fluid markers to study pathophysiological processes and develop biomarkers for diagnosis and disease progression, and conduct clinical trials to improve patient management. We study the common cases of dementia in later life, so as well as Lewy body dementia we study Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, and their prodromes and preclinical stages, as well as closely related conditions like late life depression. We have close links with other departments in Cambridge, especially Clinical Neurosciences, and the Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre as well as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. We collaborate widely with other groups, including within the UK and internationally, through many routes including the Dementias Platform UK, the NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration, the European DLB Group and the International DLB Consortium
Publications
1. Longitudinal changes in cardiac mIBG scintigraphy in mild cognitive impairment with Lewy bodies.
Greenfinch G, Hamilton CA, Donaghy PC, Firbank M, Barnett NA, Allan L, Petrides GS, Taylor JP, O'Brien JT, Thomas AJ.
BJPsych Open. 2024 Dec 5;10(6):e223. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2024.766.
PMID: 39635755
2. Brain age gap, dementia risk factors and cognition in middle age.
Stefaniak JD, Mak E, Su L, Carter SF, Dounavi ME, Muniz Terrera G, Bridgeman K, Ritchie K, Lawlor B, Naci L, Koychev I, Malhotra P, Ritchie CW, O'Brien JT.
Brain Commun. 2024 Nov 19;6(6):fcae392. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae392. eCollection 2024.
PMID: 39605972 Free PMC article.
3. Caregiver perspectives enable accurate diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease.
Murley AG, Bowns L, Camacho M, Williams-Gray CH, Tsvetanov KA, Rittman T, Barker RA, O'Brien JT, Rowe JB.
Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Nov 19. doi: 10.1002/alz.14377. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 39559925
4. Cognitive impairment in individuals with rheumatic diseases: the role of systemic inflammation, immunomodulatory medications, and comorbidities.
Myasoedova E, Sattui SE, Lee J, O'Brien JT, Makris UE.
Lancet Rheumatol. 2024 Dec;6(12):e871-e880. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(24)00190-5. Epub 2024 Nov 11.
PMID: 39542002 Review.
5. Peripheral innate immunophenotype in neurodegenerative disease: blood-based profiles and links to survival.
Strauss A, Swann P, Kigar SL, Christou R, Savinykh Yarkoni N, Turner L, Murley AG, Chouliaras L, Shapiro N, Ashton NJ, Savulich G, Bevan-Jones WR, Surendranthan A, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, O'Brien JT, Rowe JB, Malpetti M.
Mol Psychiatry. 2024 Oct 29. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02809-w. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 39472664
6. Blood inflammation relates to neuroinflammation and survival in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
Malpetti M, Swann P, Tsvetanov KA, Chouliaras L, Strauss A, Chikaura T, Murley AG, Ashton NJ, Barker P, Jones PS, Fryer TD, Hong YT, Cope TE, Savulich G, Street D, Bevan-Jones WR, Rittman T, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Aigbirhio FI, O'Brien JT, Rowe JB.
Brain. 2024 Aug 19:awae269. doi: 10.1093/brain/awae269. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 39155063
7. Neuroimaging and Clinical Findings in Healthy Middle-Aged Adults With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the PREVENT Dementia Study.
Low A, McKiernan E, Prats-Sedano MA, Carter SF, Stefaniak JD, Su L, Dounavi ME, Muniz-Terrera G, Jenkins N, Bridgeman K, Ritchie K, Lawlor B, Naci L, Malhotra P, Mackay C, Koychev I, Thayanandan T, Raymont V, Ritchie CW, Stewart W, O'Brien JT; PREVENT Dementia Investigators.
JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Aug 1;7(8):e2426774. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.26774.
PMID: 39145979 Free PMC article.
8. Outcomes of Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment With Lewy Bodies or Alzheimer Disease at 3 and 5 Years After Diagnosis.
Hamilton CA, Donaghy PC, Durcan R, Ciafone J, Olsen K, Roberts G, Firbank MJ, Allan LM, Taylor JP, O'Brien JT, Thomas AJ.
Neurology. 2024 Jul 23;103(2):e209499. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209499. Epub 2024 Jun 13.
PMID: 38870460 Free PMC article.
9. Investigating the brain's neurochemical profile at midlife in relation to dementia risk factors.
Dounavi ME, McKiernan E, Langsen M, Gregory S, Muniz-Terrera G, Prats-Sedano MA, Mada MO, Williams GB, Lawlor B, Naci L, Mackay C, Koychev I, Malhotra P, Ritchie K, Ritchie CW, Su L, Waldman AD, O' Brien JT.
Brain Commun. 2024 Apr 17;6(3):fcae138. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae138. eCollection 2024.
PMID: 38779354 Free PMC article.
10. MINocyclinE to Reduce inflammation and blood-brain barrier leakage in small Vessel diseAse (MINERVA): A phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experimental medicine trial.
Brown RB, Tozer DJ, Loubière L, Harshfield EL, Hong YT, Fryer TD, Williams GB, Graves MJ, Aigbirhio FI, O'Brien JT, Markus HS.
Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Jun;20(6):3852-3863. doi: 10.1002/alz.13830. Epub 2024 Apr 17.
PMID: 38629936 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
11. Influences of amyloid-β and tau on white matter