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Department
  • Clinical Neurosciences
    • Institute
  • Neurology Unit
    • Research Theme Neurons, Circuits and Networks Adaptive Brain Computations
    Research Focus

    Keywords

  • Magnetoencephalography
  • Clinical Neurosciences
  • Pharmacology

    • Clinical Conditions

  • Frontotemporal dementia
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Dementia
  • Parkinson's disease

    • Equipment & Techniques

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Electroencephalography (EEG)
  • Neuropsychological testing
  • Behavioural analysis

    • Science Culture

  • Open Access

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    Dr Laura Hughes

    University Position
    Research Associate

    Interests

    I study the role of the prefrontal cortex, and associated brain networks, for cognition, behaviour and action. I use both MEG and MRI, together with behavioural, clinical, and neuropsychological data, to investigate healthy adults and patients with neurodegenerative diseases, with a current focus on frontotemporal dementia. My recent research examines the impact of loss of neurotransmission in dementia, especially the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate, which are the primary inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters, as well as serotonin and noradrenaline. Using pharmaco-magnetoencephalography, we investigate the potential for pharmacological enhancement to improve symptoms of disease.

    Key Publications

    Publications

    Clinicopathological and prognostic correlations of plasma biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.07.25341788
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 11 Dec 2025
    Authors: M Malpetti, L Chouliaras, AG Murley, P Swann, I Coyle-Gilchrist, WR Bevan-Jones, G Savulich, MN Perquin, J Wiggins, L Bowns, L Su, L Hughes, A Quaegebeur, K Allinson, T Rittman, Y Hong, T Fryer, R Roberts, NJ Ashton, K Blennow, H Zetterberg, JT O’Brien, JB Rowe

    Frontotemporal lobar degeneration changes neuronal beta-frequency dynamics during the mismatch negativity response.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103671
    Journal: Neuroimage Clin
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2024
    Authors: A Perry, LE Hughes, NE Adams, M Naessens, NA Kloosterman, MA Rouse, AG Murley, D Street, PS Jones, JB Rowe

    GABAergic modulation of beta power enhances motor adaptation in frontotemporal lobar degeneration

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.28.24309636
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 3 Jul 2024
    Authors: LE Hughes, NE Adams, M Rouse, M Naessens, AD Shaw, AG Murley, TE Cope, N Holland, D Nesbitt, D Street, DJ Whiteside, JB Rowe

    Neurochemistry-enriched dynamic causal models of magnetoencephalography, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120193
    Journal: Neuroimage
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2023
    Authors: A Jafarian, LE Hughes, NE Adams, JH Lanskey, M Naessens, MA Rouse, AG Murley, KJ Friston, JB Rowe

    Syndromes associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration change response patterns on visual analogue scales.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35758-5
    Journal: Sci Rep
    E-pub date: 2 Jun 2023
    Authors: RS Williams, NE Adams, LE Hughes, MA Rouse, AG Murley, M Naessens, D Street, N Holland, JB Rowe

    Neurophysiological consequences of synapse loss in progressive supranuclear palsy.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awac471
    Journal: Brain
    E-pub date: 1 Jun 2023
    Authors: NE Adams, A Jafarian, A Perry, MA Rouse, AD Shaw, AG Murley, TE Cope, WR Bevan-Jones, L Passamonti, D Street, N Holland, D Nesbitt, LE Hughes, KJ Friston, JB Rowe

    A multi-site, multi-participant magnetoencephalography resting-state dataset to study dementia: The BioFIND dataset.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119344
    Journal: Neuroimage
    E-pub date: 1 Sep 2022
    Authors: D Vaghari, R Bruna, LE Hughes, D Nesbitt, R Tibon, JB Rowe, F Maestu, RN Henson

    The neurophysiological effect of NMDA-R antagonism of frontotemporal lobar degeneration is conditional on individual GABA concentration.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-02114-6
    Journal: Transl Psychiatry
    E-pub date: 27 Aug 2022
    Authors: A Perry, LE Hughes, N Adams, M Naessens, AG Murley, MA Rouse, D Street, PS Jones, TE Cope, E Kocagoncu, JB Rowe

    Neurophysiological consequences of synapse loss in progressive supranuclear palsy

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.22.22276697
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 24 Jun 2022
    Authors: N Adams, A Jafarian, A Perry, M Rouse, A Shaw, A Murley, T Cope, R Bevan-Jones, L Passamonti, D Street, N Holland, D Nesbitt, L Hughes, K Friston, J Rowe

    Neurochemistry-enriched dynamic causal models of magnetoencephalography, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.17.493881
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 18 Jun 2022
    Authors: A Jafarian, L Hughes, N Adams, J Lanskey, M Naessens, M Rouse, A Murley, K Friston, J Rowe

    The neurophysiological effect of NMDA-R antagonism of frontotemporal lobar degeneration is conditional on individual GABA concentration

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1609477/v1
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 7 May 2022
    Authors: A Perry, L Hughes, N Adams, M Naessens, A Murley, M Rouse, D Street, S Jones, T Cope, E Kocagoncu, J Rowe

    Causal Evidence for the Multiple Demand Network in Change Detection: Auditory Mismatch Magnetoencephalography across Focal Neurodegenerative Diseases.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1622-21.2022
    Journal: J Neurosci
    E-pub date: 13 Apr 2022
    Authors: TE Cope, LE Hughes, HN Phillips, NE Adams, A Jafarian, D Nesbitt, M Assem, A Woolgar, J Duncan, JB Rowe

    GABAergic cortical network physiology in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awab097
    Journal: Brain
    E-pub date: 17 Aug 2021
    Authors: NE Adams, LE Hughes, MA Rouse, HN Phillips, AD Shaw, AG Murley, TE Cope, WR Bevan-Jones, L Passamonti, D Street, N Holland, D Nesbitt, K Friston, JB Rowe

    A multi-site, multi-participant magnetoencephalography resting-state dataset to study dementia: The BioFIND dataset

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.19.21257330
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 20 May 2021
    Authors: D Vaghari, R Bruna, L Hughes, D Nesbitt, R Tibon, J Rowe, F Maestu, R Henson

    Towards accurate and unbiased imaging-based differentiation of Parkinson’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaa051
    Journal: Brain Commun
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2020
    Authors: MM Correia, T Rittman, CL Barnes, IT Coyle-Gilchrist, B Ghosh, LE Hughes, JB Rowe

    GABA-ergic Dynamics in Human Frontotemporal Networks Confirmed by Pharmaco-Magnetoencephalography.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1689-19.2019
    Journal: J Neurosci
    E-pub date: 19 Feb 2020
    Authors: NE Adams, LE Hughes, HN Phillips, AD Shaw, AG Murley, D Nesbitt, TE Cope, WR Bevan-Jones, L Passamonti, JB Rowe

    GABA-ergic dynamics in human frontotemporal networks confirmed by pharmaco-magnetoencephalography

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/803924
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 15 Oct 2019
    Authors: N Adams, L Hughes, H Phillips, A Shaw, A Murley, T Cope, R Bevan-Jones, L Passamonti, J Rowe

    Atomoxetine and citalopram alter brain network organization in Parkinson’s disease.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcz013
    Journal: Brain Commun
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2019
    Authors: RJ Borchert, T Rittman, CL Rae, L Passamonti, SP Jones, D Vatansever, P Vázquez Rodríguez, Z Ye, C Nombela, LE Hughes, TW Robbins, JB Rowe

    Reorganization of cortical oscillatory dynamics underlying disinhibition in frontotemporal dementia.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awy176
    Journal: Brain
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2018
    Authors: LE Hughes, T Rittman, TW Robbins, JB Rowe

    Neurophysiological signatures of Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration: pathology versus phenotype.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awy180
    Journal: Brain
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2018
    Authors: S Sami, N Williams, LE Hughes, TE Cope, T Rittman, ITS Coyle-Gilchrist, RN Henson, JB Rowe

    Monitoring the past and choosing the future: the prefrontal cortical influences on voluntary action.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25127-y
    Journal: Sci Rep
    E-pub date: 8 May 2018
    Authors: HN Phillips, TE Cope, LE Hughes, J Zhang, JB Rowe

    Atomoxetine restores the response inhibition network in Parkinson’s disease.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aww138
    Journal: Brain
    E-pub date: 31 Aug 2016
    Authors: CL Rae, C Nombela, PV Rodríguez, Z Ye, LE Hughes, PS Jones, T Ham, T Rittman, I Coyle-Gilchrist, R Regenthal, BJ Sahakian, RA Barker, TW Robbins, JB Rowe

    Atomoxetine Enhances Connectivity of Prefrontal Networks in Parkinson’s Disease.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2016.18
    Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology
    E-pub date: 1 Jul 2016
    Authors: RJ Borchert, T Rittman, L Passamonti, Z Ye, S Sami, SP Jones, C Nombela, P Vázquez Rodríguez, D Vatansever, CL Rae, LE Hughes, TW Robbins, JB Rowe

    Atomoxetine Enhances Connectivity of Prefrontal Networks in Parkinson’s Disease.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2016.46
    Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology
    E-pub date: 1 Jul 2016
    Authors: RJ Borchert, T Rittman, L Passamonti, Z Ye, S Sami, SP Jones, C Nombela, PV Rodríguez, D Vatansever, CL Rae, LE Hughes, TW Robbins, JB Rowe

    Improving response inhibition systems in frontotemporal dementia with citalopram.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awv133
    Journal: Brain
    E-pub date: 1 Jul 2015
    Authors: LE Hughes, T Rittman, R Regenthal, TW Robbins, JB Rowe

    The val158met COMT polymorphism’s effect on atrophy in healthy aging and Parkinson’s disease.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2008.07.009
    Journal: Neurobiol Aging
    E-pub date: 1 Jun 2010
    Authors: JB Rowe, L Hughes, CH Williams-Gray, S Bishop, S Fallon, RA Barker, AM Owen

    Parkinson’s disease and dopaminergic therapy–differential effects on movement, reward and cognition.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awn112
    Journal: Brain
    E-pub date: 31 Aug 2008
    Authors: JB Rowe, L Hughes, BCP Ghosh, D Eckstein, CH Williams-Gray, S Fallon, RA Barker, AM Owen