Anna Fakiolas
Department, Institution: Brain Sciences, UCL
UBEL Pathway: Ecological Study of Brain and Behaviour
Supervisor: Prof. Paul Burgess (Primary Supervisor), Dr Sarah White (Secondary Supervisor)
Contact details: zcjtfak@ucl.ac.uk
About Me
I am a PhD student at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL. Before starting my PhD, I received a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Neuroscience, both at UCL. I am originally from Cyprus but have lived in London for the last 10 years. My first introduction to Autism was through meeting Sarah White, who is now my secondary supervisor, in my first year at UCL and hearing about her work. This sparked a strong interest in understanding the cognitive characteristics of Autism and how these impact everyday life. I am deeply passionate about centring neurodivergent perspectives in research. Too often, studies fail to consider the lived experiences of neurodivergent people, focusing instead on their perceived deficits in relation to ‘normality’, rather than trying to understand the unique strengths and weaknesses that come with these conditions. I aim to conduct research that advances our understanding of ASD and ADHD while prioritising outcomes with the potential to improve diagnostic and treatment practices.
My Research
Current diagnostic methods for ASD and ADHD rely on behavioural observations, which can be subjective and time-consuming. The two disorders are highly comorbid, show overlapping characteristics, and exhibit significant heterogeneity between individuals, further complicating the diagnostic process.
My project aims to investigate how cognitive differences associated with ASD and ADHD manifest in real-world behaviour, with the eventual aim of developing new diagnostic measures for these disorders. We will employ a modified version of the Multiple Errands Test (MET), an ecologically valid measure, designed to quantify EF impairment in neurological patients with frontal lobe damage (Shallice & Burgess, 1991). It features a range of real-life activities, such as buying specific items, gathering information or arriving at a specified location. By combining the MET with portable functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), this study aims to measure differences in neural activity associated with the characteristics of ASD and ADHD to better understand the neural origins of the observed cognitive differences between these diagnostic populations.
Aims:
1. Develop and validate a modified MET paradigm to assess cognitive characteristics of ASD and ADHD.
2. Compare real-world MET performance with computerised cognitive tests.
3. Identify cognitive characteristics that distinguish between ASD and ADHD.
4. Investigate neural correlates of cognitive differences between ASD and ADHD using mobile fNIRS.
5. Contribute to the development of new diagnostic measures for ASD and/or ADHD.
Impact of My Research
Combining real-world behavioural assessment, portable functional neuroimaging and machine learning makes this study particularly well-positioned to contribute to our understanding of the cognitive differences that characterise ASD and ADHD, which can aid in the development of more accurate, ecologically valid, and reliable diagnostic measures for these disorders. This is especially pertinent for assessing adults, who are presenting in increasing numbers to diagnostic centres, and are currently being assessed with measures that were originally created for use in children. We hope to reduce the disparity in diagnostic rates between clinics through the creation of new, evidence-based diagnostic tools, which will allow for increased standardisation of the diagnostic process and reduced reliance on clinicians’ judgements.
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