CNH Monthly Roundtable Talk by Prof Hannah Keage

Date and time: 6 June 2024, 11am to 1pm

Talk location: Redmond Barry Building, Latham Theatre

Light refreshments location: Redmond Barry Building, Level 12 pantry

Talk details:

Title: Delirium in late-life: why should cognitive neuroscientists care?

Overview: Delirium is a neurocognitive disorder characterised by acute and fluctuating impairments in cognition and arousal. It can occur at any age but is most common in late-life. It is precipitated by an acute insult such as surgery, and varies in its presentation, severity, and duration. It is associated with a range of poor outcomes in older adults including incident dementia and institutionalisation. Delirium is arguably the most interesting and understudied disorder in the field of cognitive neuroscience. I will cover our previous work investigating the clinical characteristics, neuropsychology, and neurophysiology of delirium. I’ll also introduce two new studies: (i) DelIrium VULnerability in GEriatrics (DIVULGE) 2 assessing EEG in the context of delirium, and (ii) the Help After Leaving hospiTal (HALT) Trial, a co-designed multidisciplinary and tailored intervention study to prevent decline after in-hospital delirium.

Speaker bio:

I am a Professor of Psychology at the University of South Australia. My work focuses on cognitive ageing and cognitive impairments, such as dementia and delirium, using neuropsychological and psychophysiological approaches. Between 2007 and 2011 I undertook post-doctoral positions at the University of Cambridge, working on longitudinal cohort studies of ageing and dementia with brain donation programs, with Professor Carol Brayne. In 2011 I returned to Australia, taking up an academic position in psychology at the University of South Australia. I am a past-President of the Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society, a member of the Australian Academy of Sciences Committee for the Brain and Mind and co-lead the Cognitive Ageing and Impairment Neurosciences Lab (@CAIN_Lab).