Dr Mario Parra Rodriguez

Professor

Psychology

Personal statement

Research interests: Mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal cognitive ageing. Cognitive and behavioural changes in neurodegenerative diseases, with emphasis on Alzheimer’s Disease. The investigation of functional brain changes (fMRI, EEG, ERP, Brain Connectivity) in the course of dementing illnesses and other brain disorders. Development of cognitive tests for the early detection of dementia with emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease. Development of technology-based intervention procedures to enhance functions of everyday life in older people who are experiencing cognitive decline. I also have an interest in the biopsychosocial mechanisms of abnormal behaviours (e.g., violence) in the context of social conflicts.

Biography: I graduated as a Medical Doctor in 1993 and as a Clinical Neurophysiologist in 1997. I worked at the Cuban Neuroscience Centre and at different University Hospitals in Cuba and in Colombia. During my clinical work I focused on neuropsychological and neurophysiological aspects of dementia syndromes and other neurological disorders. I taught neuroscience related subjects in the field of medicine and psychology. My motivation for teaching and research led me to a major career change into academia. This started with my PhD in 2005 at the University of Edinburgh and continued with three Postdoctoral Fellowships and a position as a Clinical Studies Officer within the NHS Scotland. I was as an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh from 2015 until 2018. I am currently a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

Invited Professor Brain Health CPD courses in Latin America: Recipient; 26/1/2022
Neuroscientific Officer for ViewMind: Recipient; 2022
Member of the Executive Committee Scottish Dementia Research Consrtium: Recipient; 26/2/2021
Invited Professor MSc in Clinical Neuropsychology, University Surcolombiana: Recipient; 2021
Honorary Fellowship with the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh: Recipient; 9/9/2020
Nuffield Council on Bioethics, New in-depth inquiry: the future of ageing: Recipient; 29/7/2020

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Publications

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Publications

Short-term memory binding is insensitive to the socioeconomic status of older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment: Martínez-Flórez Juan Felipe, Belalcázar Mateo, Alvarez Alexandrina, Erazo Oscar, Sevilla Sairy Tupak, Parra Rodriguez Mario; The Clinical Neuropsychologist (2024)
A multidimensional, person-centered framework for functional assessment in dementia : insights from the 'What', 'How', 'To Whom', and 'How Much' questions: Slachevsky Andrea, Grandi Fabrissio, Thumala Daniela, Baez Sandra, Santamaria-García Hernando, Schmitter- Edgecombe Maureen, Parra Mario A; Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (2024)
Exploring the association between amyloid-β and memory markers for Alzheimer's disease in cognitively unimpaired older adults: Parra Mario A, Gazes Y, Habeck C, Stern Y; The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease Vol 11, pp. 339-347 (2024); https://doi.org/10.14283/jpad.2024.11
Brain health : risk, resilience and reserve research: Kelly Michelle E, McHugh Power Joanna, Parra Mario A, Hannigan Caoimhe; Frontiers in Psychology Vol 15 (2024); https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1386516
Viscous dynamics associated with hypoexcitation and structural disintegration in neurodegeneration via generative whole-brain modeling: Coronel-Oliveros Carlos, Gónzalez Gómez Raúl, Ranasinghe Kamalini, Sainz-Ballesteros Agustín, Legaz Agustina, Fittipaldi Sol, Cruzat Josephine, Herzog Rubén, Yener Gorsev, Parra Mario, Aguillon David, Lopera Francisco, Santamaria-Garcia Hernando, Moguilner Sebastián, Medel Vicente, Orio Patricio, Whelan Robert, Tagliazucchi Enzo, Prado Pavel, Ibañez Agustín; Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association (2024); https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.13788
The experience of cancer-related cognitive impairment across common cancers : a qualitative systematic review protocol: Ibrar Maryam, Rai Harleen, Main Ashleigh, McCartney Haruno, Maguire Roma, Parra Rodriguez Mario; JMIR Research Protocols (2024); https://doi.org/10.2196/preprints.56888

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Research

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Professional Activities

Alignments in functional connectivity networks: Contributor; 8/11/2022
Advanced Online & Onsite Course & Symposium on Artificial Intelligence & Neuroscience: Participant; 18/9/2022
Virtual Reality in the Assessment and Intervention of Dementia: Speaker; 11/8/2022
National and International Congress Neurosciences and Neuropsychology: Rehabilitation + Technology: Organiser; 11/8/2022
Alzheimer's Association International Conference: Speaker; 3/8/2022
Alzheimer's Association International Conference: Participant; 3/8/2022

More professional activities

Projects

ViewMind Dementia and Alzheimer's Project: Parra Rodriguez, Mario (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2024
Strategy training to support healthy cognitive ageing: behavioural, neuroimaging, and real-world investigations: Brown Nicholls, Louise (Principal Investigator) Parra Rodriguez, Mario (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2023 - 30-Jan-2026
A mixed-methods investigation of young and older adults’ strategies during age-sensitive visual working memory: co-developing a novel strategy training intervention: Hart, Rebecca (Post Grad Student) Brown Nicholls, Louise (Principal Investigator) Parra Rodriguez, Mario (Co-investigator); SGSSS ESRC student-led studentship awarded to R. Hart; 01-Jan-2023 - 30-Jan-2026
Mental Health Futures Collaborative: Cogan, Nicola (Principal Investigator) Parra Rodriguez, Mario (Principal Investigator) Fleming, Leanne (Principal Investigator) Quinn, Neil (Principal Investigator) Tse, Dwight (Principal Investigator) Knifton, Lee (Principal Investigator) McCann, Lisa (Principal Investigator) Maguire, Roma (Principal Investigator) Smith, Matthew (Principal Investigator) Graham, Christopher Darryl (Principal Investigator) Grealy, Madeleine (Principal Investigator) Stephen, Susan (Principal Investigator) Weir, Natalie Mcfadyen (Principal Investigator) Donnachie, Craig (Principal Investigator) Cameron, Julie (Principal Investigator) Kane, Tony (Co-investigator) Lakey, Trevor (Academic) Donovan, Kevin (Fellow); This Engage with Strathclyde event is aimed at all those with an interest in mental health including people with lived experience, NHS and social care personnel and staff, occupational health and human resource management staff, student support services, university student and staff, academics, private and public sector and other personnel interested in mental health research and knowledge exchange.; 12-Jan-2023 - 12-Jan-2023
Biosemi electroencephalography (EEG) amplifier: McGeown, William (Principal Investigator) Parra Rodriguez, Mario (Co-investigator) Sakata, Shuzo (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2023 - 30-Jan-2024
Virtual Reality Assessment and Intervention Systems: Parra Rodriguez, Mario (Principal Investigator); Health informatics tools for the assessment and rehabilitation of dementias have grown steeply over the last decade both in number and robustness. Particular emphasis has been put on the development of virtual reality (VR) applications due to their scope for patient immersion in naturalistic environments. However, available systems still face important challenges. They still lack the desire ecological validity and flexibility needed to achieve patient adherence to treatment and sustained improvements post-intervention. To achieve ecological validity, such systems should be meaningful to the individual, that is, they should follow a naturalistic approach through which cognitive abilities can be enhanced in contexts and with tasks familiar to the affected person. The flexibility component should allow tailoring the demands of the intervention plan in an intelligent and theory-driven manner reducing the need for therapist-centred interventions and consequently health care costs. This project tackles these challenges by merging VR interactive systems and artificial intelligence (AI). It pursues the following aims:

it will operate in a theory-driven manner
it will enhance cognition by linking, in a meaningful way, virtual and real experiences in daily living settings
it will monitor the physical impact of cognitive enhancement
it will integrate different sources of information to tailor advice that highlights the links across virtual and real environments (intelligent advisor) and to generate digital case notes which will be submitted to the health care team via telecare platforms; 24-Jan-2023