M Camacho

My research is focused on the gut-brain axis, particularly how constipation is associated with cognitive decline and faster progression to dementia in Parkinson's disease (PD), and the mediating mechanisms underlying this relationship. We work with cohort studies of people with Parkinson's disease and at risk of developing PD (REM Sleep Behaviour Disorders) which are observational studies tracking the progression of PD over several years so that we can better understand how the disease behaves over time. A subset of patients have brain scans (MRI, PET), blood tests and lumbar punctures and with these tools we are investigating the role of the immune system (both peripheral and CNS inflammation) in the gut-brain axis.