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College Christ's College
Department
  • Psychology
  • Clinical Neurosciences
    • School
  • Biological Sciences
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    Research Theme Brains and Machines Adaptive Brain Computations Neurons, Circuits and Networks

    Other Interdiciplinary Incentives

  • 60

    • Research Focus

    Keywords

  • Brain Networks
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Neurodegenerative Brain Disorders
  • Dementia
  • Hallucinations

    • Clinical Conditions

  • Dementia
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Schizophrenia
  • Alzheimer's disease

    • Equipment & Techniques

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Computational modelling
  • Cross-sectional and cohort studies
  • Other
  • Statistical analysis

    • Science Culture

  • Women in Neuroscience
  • Mentorship
  • Open Access

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    Dr Marcella Montagnese

    (she/her/hers)
    University Position
    Assistant Research Professor
    Research Fellow
    Dr Marcella Montagnese is pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD students.

    Interests

    I am a Research Fellow at Christ’s College, Cambridge. I am also based in the Department of Psychology and hold affiliations with the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and King’s College London. My primary research involves analyzing neuroimaging and clinical data from memory clinics at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and other NHS trusts around the UK. I use artificial intelligence (AI) and normative models (Brain Charts, Bethlehem et al., Nature, 2022) to develop individualised tools for patient stratification and prognostication. Additionally, I have been applying cutting-edge AI techniques to solve complex healthcare challenges through my involvement in the PASSIAN Project, which focuses on implementing federated learning in the NHS. The goal is to pilot a secure, scalable clinical data-sharing solution that will remove a key roadblock to developing AI implementations for real-world biomedical data. Beyond my research, I am an ambassador for the Women Techmakers Initiative powered by Google, where I actively advocate for underrepresented groups, promote open access to coding and AI resources, and foster an inclusive tech community.

    Collaborators

    Cambridge
  • Richard Bethlehem
  • Timothy Rittman
  • Sarah Morgan
  • Zoe Kourtzi
  • Guy Williams

    • Associated News Items

    Key Publications

    Structural similarity networks reveal brain vulnerability in dementia.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70973
    Journal: Alzheimers Dement
    E-pub date: 1 Dec 2025
    Authors: M Montagnese, A Ebneabbasi, N García-San-Martín, C Pecci-Terroba, R Romero-García, SE Morgan, JH Cole, J Seidlitz, T Rittman, RAI Bethlehem

    Cloud computing for equitable, data-driven dementia medicine

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.landig.2025.100902
    Journal: Lancet Digit Health
    E-pub date: 1 Nov 2025
    Authors: M Montagnese, B Rangelov, T Doel, D Llewellyn, Z Walker, T Rittman, NP Oxtoby

    Robust and interpretable AI-guided marker for early dementia prediction in real-world clinical settings

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102725
    Journal: EClinicalMedicine
    E-pub date: 31 Aug 2024
    Authors: LY Lee, D Vaghari, MC Burkhart, P Tino, M Montagnese, Z Li, K Zühlsdorff, J Giorgio, G Williams, E Chong, C Chen, BR Underwood, T Rittman, Z Kourtzi

    Cognition, hallucination severity and hallucination-specific insight in neurodegenerative disorders and eye disease.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/13546805.2021.1960812
    Journal: Cogn Neuropsychiatry
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2022
    Authors: M Montagnese, M Vignando, D Collerton, D Ffytche, UP Mosimann, J-P Taylor, K daSilva Morgan, P Urwyler

    A Review of Multimodal Hallucinations: Categorization, Assessment, Theoretical Perspectives, and Clinical Recommendations.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbaa101
    Journal: Schizophr Bull
    E-pub date: 23 Jan 2021
    Authors: M Montagnese, P Leptourgos, C Fernyhough, F Waters, F Larøi, R Jardri, S McCarthy-Jones, N Thomas, R Dudley, J-P Taylor, D Collerton, P Urwyler

    Early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health care and on people with mental health conditions: framework synthesis of international experiences and responses.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01924-7
    Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2021
    Authors: L Sheridan Rains, S Johnson, P Barnett, T Steare, JJ Needle, S Carr, B Lever Taylor, F Bentivegna, J Edbrooke-Childs, HR Scott, J Rees, P Shah, J Lomani, B Chipp, N Barber, Z Dedat, S Oram, N Morant, A Simpson, COVID-19 Mental Health Policy Research Unit Group

    Reinforcement learning as an intermediate phenotype in psychosis? Deficits sensitive to illness stage but not associated with polygenic risk of schizophrenia in the general population

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/668939
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 15 Jun 2019
    Authors: M Montagnese, F Knolle, J Haarsma, JD Griffin, A Richards, P Vertes, B Kiddle, PC Fletcher, PB Jones, MJ Owen, P Fonagy, ET Bullmore, R Dolan, NSPN Consortium, M Moutoussis, I Goodyer, GK Murray

    Publications

    Mapping the Health Burden of Neighbourhood Deprivation: Neurobiological Evidence Across the Life Span

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.64898/2026.08.29.26361714
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 3 Sep 2026
    Authors: A Ebneabbasi, V Warrier, M Montagnese, R Romero Garcia, RAI Bethlehem, T Rittman

    Deviations in effective connectivity explain different hallucination subtypes in Parkinson’s disease psychosis

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00669-7
    Journal: Nat Ment Health
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2026
    Authors: M Vignando, D ffytche, N Mazibuko, G Palma, A Bhat, M Montagnese, S Dave, YF Tai, L Batzu, V Leta, KR Chaudhuri, CH Williams Gray, MA Mehta

    Microstructural White Matter Alterations in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/alz70862_110129
    Journal: Alzheimer's & Dementia
    E-pub date: 1 Dec 2025
    Authors: R Yagci, T Schmidt, M Montagnese, T Rittman

    Disrupted functional brain network associated with presence of hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf185
    Journal: Brain Commun
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2025
    Authors: M Montagnese, MA Mehta, D ffytche, M Firbank, RA Lawson, J-P Taylor, ET Bullmore, SE Morgan

    Disrupted functional brain network associated with presence of hallucinations in Parkinson’s Disease

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.30.24314594
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 3 Oct 2024
    Authors: M Montagnese, MA Mehta, D ffytche, M Firbank, RA Lawson, J-P Taylor, ET Bullmore, SE Morgan

    Visual mismatch negativity in Parkinson’s psychosis and potential for testing treatment mechanisms.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcae291
    Journal: Brain Commun
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2024
    Authors: M Vignando, D Ffytche, N Mazibuko, G Palma, M Montagnese, S Dave, DJ Nutt, AS Gabay, YF Tai, L Batzu, V Leta, CH Williams Gray, KR Chaudhuri, MA Mehta

    Bridging modifiable risk factors and cognitive decline: the mediating role of brain age.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-7568(24)00042-4
    Journal: Lancet Healthy Longev
    E-pub date: 1 Apr 2024
    Authors: M Montagnese, T Rittman

    Experiencing hallucinations in daily life: The role of metacognition.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2022.12.023
    Journal: Schizophr Res
    E-pub date: 1 Mar 2024
    Authors: AC Wright, E Palmer-Cooper, M Cella, N McGuire, M Montagnese, V Dlugunovych, C-WJ Liu, T Wykes, C Cather

    Metacognition and psychosis-spectrum experiences: A study of objective and subjective measures.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2022.12.014
    Journal: Schizophr Res
    E-pub date: 1 Dec 2023
    Authors: EC Palmer-Cooper, AC Wright, N McGuire, M Montagnese, V Dlugunovych, M Cella, T Wykes

    Cognitive and visual processing performance in Parkinson’s disease patients with vs without visual hallucinations: A meta-analysis.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2021.11.001
    Journal: Cortex
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2022
    Authors: M Montagnese, M Vignando, D Ffytche, MA Mehta

    Octopaminergic neurons have multiple targets in Drosophila larval mushroom body calyx and can modulate behavioral odor discrimination.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/lm.052159.120
    Journal: Learn Mem
    E-pub date: 1 Feb 2021
    Authors: JYH Wong, BA Wan, T Bland, M Montagnese, AD McLachlan, CJ O'Kane, SW Zhang, LM Masuda-Nakagawa

    Reinforcement learning as an intermediate phenotype in psychosis? Deficits sensitive to illness stage but not associated with polygenic risk of schizophrenia in the general population.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2020.04.022
    Journal: Schizophr Res
    E-pub date: 31 Aug 2020
    Authors: M Montagnese, F Knolle, J Haarsma, JD Griffin, A Richards, PE Vertes, B Kiddle, PC Fletcher, PB Jones, MJ Owen, P Fonagy, ET Bullmore, RJ Dolan, NSPN Consortium, M Moutoussis, IM Goodyer, GK Murray

    Early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health care and on people with mental health conditions: framework synthesis of international experiences and responses

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.15.20129411
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 19 Jun 2020
    Authors: LS Rains, S Johnson, P Barnett, T Steare, J Needle, S Carr, BL Taylor, F Bentivegna, J Edbrooke-Childs, HR Scott, J Rees, P Shah, J Lomani, B Chipp, N Barber, Z Dedat, S Oram, N Morant, A Simpson, COVID-19 Mental Health Policy Research Unit Group

    Cognitive and Visual Processing Performance in Parkinson’s Disease Patients With vs Without Visual Hallucinations: A Meta-Analysis

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3745799
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2020
    Authors: M Montagnese, M Vignando, D ffytche, MA Mehta

    Octopaminergic neurons have multiple targets inDrosophilalarval mushroom body calyx and regulate behavioral odor discrimination

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/295659
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 17 Apr 2018
    Authors: JY Hilary Wong, BA Wan, T Bland, M Montagnese, A McLachlan, C O’Kane, SW Zhang, L Masuda-Nakagawa