Keir Yong Ph.D. is a neuropsychologist and Dunhill Medical Trust Senior Research Fellow at the Dementia Research Centre, University College London (UCL), UK. He is chief investigator of the UCL longitudinal study of posterior cortical atrophy (“visual-spatial Alzheimer’s disease”), the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) Atypical AD Vice Chair and PCA Working Group research chair. He is the winner of the ISTAART Nonpharmacological Interventions early career researcher award, British Neuropsychological Society Elizabeth Warrington Prize and Alzheimer’s Society Research Community award. His research has investigated how visual perception, spatial orientation and coordinated movements may be altered by neurodegenerative disease, and what this means for diagnosis and management. He has incorporated research findings into continuing professional development resources for UK optometrist and occupational therapist professional bodies to promote assessment and understanding of dementia-related visual loss. He has developed a test to better detect and distinguish cortical visual from ocular losses which has been implemented in the UK Biobank repeat imaging sub-study. His interdisciplinary working comprises vision and motor neuroscience, engineering, medical statistics, computer and social science disciplines. He leads international efforts improving understanding of visual system vulnerability to neurodegenerative disease in order to accelerate and tailor future treatments.
