2025 Early-career Researchers talks: Keir Yong – Improving Detection and Diagnosis of Dementia-related cortical visual impairment (‘3Dem’)
19/11/2025
Keir Young is a neuropsychologist and a Vivensa Foundation Senior Research Fellow at the Dementia Research Centre, University College London. He is chief investigator of the UCL longitudinal study of posterior cortical atrophy (also known as PCA), as well as the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment Atypical AD Chair and PCA Working Group Chair. 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.
Keir Yong, University College London
This talk explores dementia-related visual impairment (“brainsight” loss), a form of visual dysfunction caused by damage to the brain’s visual networks rather than the eyes. Focusing on posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), a visual-led form of dementia that can be an early presentation of Alzheimer’s disease, the research highlights how these symptoms are frequently misinterpreted or overlooked within eye and psychiatric services. This diagnostic gap can delay appropriate support and limit access to tailored interventions and disease-modifying therapies. The talk introduces the Graded Incomplete Letters Test (GILT), a brief and efficient tool designed to detect dementia-related visual loss in eye clinic settings. Results from studies in clinical cohorts and UK Biobank show that GILT reliably differentiates PCA from common eye conditions and is associated with posterior cortical brain changes. The findings suggest GILT has strong potential for early detection of dementia-related visual impairment, helping improve diagnosis, access to care, and understanding of visual network vulnerability in ageing and neurodegeneration.
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Meet the speakers
Keir Yong
Keir Young is a neuropsychologist and a Vivensa Foundation Senior Research Fellow at the Dementia Research Centre, University College London. He is chief investigator of the UCL longitudinal study of posterior cortical atrophy (also known as PCA), as well as the International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment Atypical AD Chair and PCA Working Group Chair. 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.