Cognitive neurology

Professor Nestor is a clinician-scientist and joined the Queensland Brain Institute in October 2017. He also has a conjoint appointment at Mater Misericordiae Ltd (Mater Hospital).

He aims to relate the neuropsychological and behavioural profiles of degenerative dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, to regional brain damage through neuroimaging (MRI and PET) and histopathological analysis. His particular interest is the pathological landscape of incipient dementia (so-called mild cognitive impairment).

By studying patients in this category he hopes to develop a greater understanding of the regions of highest vulnerability to neurodegeneration in different pathologies. Identification of such regions may potentially lead to a better understanding of what makes these regions vulnerable in the first place. His research ultimately aims to improve diagnostic certainty and prognostic markers of decline - both of which are relevant to therapeutic development.

To this end, a major focus of his is on developing novel approaches to MR imaging for single subject pathological diagnoses that can be exported into the everyday clinical setting; this has included to date diffusion imaging (Sajjadi et al, 2013) and quantitative susceptibility mapping (Acosta-Cabornero et al, 2013).

Patient Referrals

Professor Nestor’s memory clinic is located at Mater Public Hospital, South Brisbane. Specialists wishing to refer patients to this service should send the referral to Mater Memory Clinic.