ResearchResearch interests
My research interests focus on biological and genetic factors contributing towards individual variability in cognitive and neural phenotypes. Research projects I have worked on in the past have explored firstly individual variations in people with Down syndrome and the relationship between these and outcomes such as the development of dementia and cognitive abilities, and secondly an association between X-linked genetic variations, social cognitive abilities, and related neural activity in typically developing males.
Research interests
My research interests focus on biological and genetic factors contributing towards individual variability in cognitive and neural phenotypes. Research projects I have worked on in the past have explored firstly individual variations in people with Down syndrome and the relationship between these and outcomes such as the development of dementia and cognitive abilities, and secondly an association between X-linked genetic variations, social cognitive abilities, and related neural activity in typically developing males.
Teaching
For the academic year 2018-2019 I am teaching on the Biological Psychology with Research Methods 2 (PSY2013), Cognitive Psychology with Research Methods 1 (PSY1017), Cognitive Psychology with Research Methods 2 (PSY2014), and Master's Cognitive Psychology with Research Methods (PSYM112) modules.
Publications
Startin CM, Lowe B, Hamburg S, Hithersay R, Strydom A (accepted). Validating the Cognitive Scale for Down Syndrome (CS-DS) to detect longitudinal cognitive decline in adults with Down syndrome. Front Psychiatry. DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00158
Startin CM, Ashton NJ, Hamburg S, Hithersay R, Wiseman FK, Mok KY, Hardy J, Lleo A, Lovestone S, Parnetti L, Zetterberg H, Hye A, Strydom A (accepted). Plasma biomarkers for amyloid, tau, and cytokines in Down syndrome and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's Res Ther
Hamburg S, Rosch R, Startin CM, Friston KJ, Strydom A (accepted). Dynamic causal modelling of the relationship between cognition and theta-alpha oscillations in adults with Down syndrome. Cereb Cortex
Startin CM, Hamburg S, Strydom A (2019). Comparison of receptive verbal abilities assessed using the KBIT-2 and BPVS3 in adults with Down syndrome. Front Psychol 9: 2730. DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02730
Hithersay R, Startin CM, Hamburg S, Mok KY, Hardy J, Fisher EMC, Tybulewicz VLJ, Nizetic D, Strydom A (in press). Association of dementia with mortality among adults with Down syndrome older than 35 years. JAMA Neurol DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.3616
Startin CM, Hamburg S, Hithersay R, Al-Janabi T, Mok KY, Hardy J, Strydom A (2019). Cognitive markers of preclinical and prodromal Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome. Alzheimers Dement 15(2): 245-257. DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2018.08.009
Firth NC, Startin CM, Hithersay R, Hamburg S, Wijeratne PA, Mok KY, Hardy J, Alexander DC, Strydom A (2018). Aging related cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer's disease in Down syndrome. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 5(6): 741-751. DOI: 10.1002/acn3.571
Strydom A, Heslegrave A, Startin CM, Mok KY, Hardy J, Groet J, Nizetic D, Zetterberg H (2018). Neurofilament light as a blood biomarker for neurodegeneration in Down syndrome. Alzheimer's Res Ther 10: 39. DOI: 10.1186/s13195-018-0367-x
Hamburg S, Startin CM, Strydom A (2017). The relationship between sound-shape matching and cognitive ability in adults with Down syndrome. Multisens Res 30(6): 537-547. DOI: 10.1163/22134808-00002579
Startin CM, Hamburg S, Hithersay R, Davies A, Rodger E, Aggarwal N, Al-Janabi T, Strydom A (2016). The LonDownS adult cognitive assessment to study cognitive abilities and decline in Down syndrome. Wellcome Open Res 1: 11. DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.9961.1
Startin CM, Rodger E, Fodor-Wynne L, Hamburg S, Strydom A (2016). Developing an informant questionnaire for cognitive abilities in Down syndrome: the Cognitive Scale for Down Syndrome (CS-DS). PLoS ONE 11(5): e0154596. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154596
Karmiloff-Smith A, Al-Janabi T, D'Souza H, Groet J, Massand E, Mok K, Startin C, Fisher E, Hardy J, Nizetic D, Tybulewicz V, Strydom A (2016). The importance of understanding individual differences in Down syndrome. F1000Res 5(F1000 Faculty Rev): 389. DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.7506.1
Startin CM, Fiorentini C, de Haan M, Skuse DH (2015). Variation in the X-linked EFHC2 gene is associated with social cognitive abilities in males. PLoS ONE 10(6): e0131604. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131604
Lyons L, Elbeltagy M, Umka J, Markwick R, Startin C, Bennett G, Wigmore P (2011). Fluoxetine reverses the memory impairment and reduction in proliferation and survival of hippocampal cells caused by methotrexate chemotherapy. Psychopharmacology 215(1): 105-115. DOI: 10.1007/s00213-010-2122-2
de Medeiros MA, Startin CM, Jeffery ND (2009). Innervation of canine skin: an immunohistochemical study. Vet Rec 165: 314-318. DOI: 10.1136/vr.165.11.314