Staff Profile

I completed my PhD in neurodegenerative pathology at Newcastle University in 2014. I have since continued my research into white matter changes in Alzheimer’s disease as a research associate and recently appointed Research Fellow funded by the Alzheimer's Society.

Area of expertise

Neurodegenerative pathology

Qualifications

PhD - Newcastle University
Biomedical Sciences (Hons) - Newcastle University

Google scholar: Click here.

My research focuses on the aetiology of white matter changes in Alzheimer’s disease and normal ageing. Understanding the underlying pathophysiology of white matter changes may have important implications for future diagnosis and therapeutics. Furthermore, I implement post mortem MRI of fixed human brain as a means of white matter assessment; a technique which was validated by my group and collaborators at Newcastle. 

In addition, my group is focused on the use and development of quantitative neuropathological assessment using a novel tissue microarray system to aid the investigation of combined neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular pathologies in the ageing human brain. 

• McAleese KE, Graham S, Dey M, Walker L, Erskine D, Johnson M, Johnston E, Thomas AJ, McKeith IG, DeCarli C, Attems J. Extravascular fibrinogen in the white matter of Alzheimer’s disease and normal aged brains: implications for fibrinogen as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Pathology 2019, 29(3), 414-424.
• Walker L, McAleese KE, Erskine D, Attems J. Neurodegenerative Diseases and Ageing. In: Subcellular Biochemistry. Singapore: Springer Nature, 2019, pp.75-106.
• McAleese KE, Walker L, Colloby SJ, Taylor J-P, Thomas AJ, DeCarli C, Attems J. Cortical tau pathology: A major player in fibre-specific white matter reductions in Alzheimer's disease?. Brain 2018, 141(6), e44.
• Attems J, McAleese KE, Walker L. Methods for pathological classification of Alzheimer's disease. In: Robert Perneczky, ed. Biomarkers for Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease. New York, NY, USA: Humana Press, 2018, pp.71-89.
• McAleese KE, Walker L, Graham S, Moya ELJ, Johnson M, Erskine D, Colloby SJ, Dey M, Martin-Ruiz C, Taylor J-P, Thomas AJ, McKeith IG, De Carli C, Attems J. Parietal white matter lesions in Alzheimer's disease are associated with cortical neurodegenerative pathology, but not with small vessel disease. Acta Neuropathologica 2017, 134(3), 459-473.
• Walker L, McAleese KE, Johnson M, Khundakar AA, Erskine D, Thomas AJ, McKeith IG, Attems J. Quantitative neuropathology: an update on automated methodologies and implicationsfor large scale cohorts. Journal of Neural Transmission 2017, 124(6), 671-683.
• Mcaleese KE, Walker L, Erskine D, Thomas AJ, Mckeith IG, Attems J. TDP-43 pathology in Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and ageing. Brain Pathology 2017, 27(4), 472-479.
• Walker L, Thomas A, Lett DJ, McAleese KE, Johnson M, Attems J. Investigating the pathological correlate of motor dysfunction in DLB and PDD. In: 117th meeting of the British Neuropathological Society. 2016, London: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• McAleese KE, Alafuzoff I, Charidimou A, De Reuck J, Grinberg LT, Hainsworth AH, Hortobagyi T, Ince P, Jellinger K, Gao J, Kalaria RN, Kovacs GG, Kovari E, Love S, Popovic M, Skrobot O, Taipa R, Thal DR, Werring D, Wharton SB, Attems J. Post-mortem assessment in vascular dementia: advances and aspirations. BMC Medicine 2016, 14, 129.
• McAleese KE, Walker L, Erskine D, Attems J. The prevalence of TDP-43 pathology in Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and mixed Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body disease. In: 17th meeting of the British Neuropathological Society. 2016, London, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
• McAleese K, Firbank M, Dey M, Colloby SJ, Walker L, Johnson M, Beverley JR, Taylor JP, Thomas AJ, O'Brien JT, Attems J. Cortical tau load is associated with white matter hyperintensities. Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2015, 3, 60.
• Walker L, McAleese KE, Thomas AJ, Johnson M, Martin-Ruiz C, Parker C, Colloby SJ, Jellinger K, Attems J. Neuropathologically mixed Alzheimer's and Lewy body disease: burden of pathological protein aggregates differs between clinical phenotypes. Acta Neuropathologica 2015, 129(5), 729-748.
• McAleese KE, Dey M, Firbank M, McParland S, O'Brien JT, Attems J. Cortical neurodegenerative pathology has an influence on white matter integrity. In: 115th Meeting of the British Neuropathological Society. 2014, London, UK: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• McAleese K, Firbank M, McParland S, Attems J. Axonal degeneration secondary to cortical neurodegeneration; a potential cause for white matter lesions?. In: 114th Meeting of British Neuropathological Society. 2013, London, UK: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• McAleese KE, Firbank M, McParland S, Attems J. Axonal degeneration secondary to cortical neurodegeneration; a potential cause for white matter lesions?. In: NEUROPATHOLOGY AND APPLIED NEUROBIOLOGY. 2013, 111 RIVER ST, HOBOKEN 07030-5774, NJ USA: WILEY-BLACKWELL.
• McAleese KE, Firbank M, Hunter D, Sun L, Hall R, Neal JW, Mann DM, Esiri M, Jellinger KA, O'Brien JT, Attems J. Magnetic resonance imaging of fixed post mortem brains reliably reflects subcortical vascular pathology of frontal, parietal and occipital white matter. Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2013, 39(5), 485-497.
• McParland S, McAleese K, Walker L, Johnson M, Fielder E, Knowles I, Attems J. Tissue microarray in the quantification of hyper-phosphorylated tau, amyloid-beta and alpha-synuclein. In: 114th Meeting of the British Neuropathological Society. 2013, London: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• McAleese KE, Firbank M, Johnson M, Walker L, Hunter D, Sun L, Hall R, O'Brien JT, Attems J. Magnetic resonance imaging detects subcortical vascular pathology in post mortem brains. In: 10th European Congress of Neuropathology. 2012, Edinburgh, Scotland.
• McAleese KE, Firbank M, Johnson M, Walker L, Hunter D, Sun L, Hall R, O'Brien JT, Attems J. Magnetic resonance imaging detects subcortical vascular pathology in post mortem brains. In: 113th Meeting of the British Neuropathological Society. 2012, London, UK.