Dr Ashleigh Barrett-Young

Research Fellow

BA(Hons), CertArts, DipGrad, BSc(Hons), PhD

Dr Ashleigh Barrett-Young is a Research Fellow at the Dunedin Study, with a research focus on preventive brain health and how early life shapes the ageing brain. She is particularly interested in what midlife biomarkers can tell us about dementia risk and whether we can intervene before symptoms appear. Her work spans retinal imaging as a non-invasive marker of brain health, and blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, all explored through the Dunedin Study's lifecourse data. Her PhD, awarded with exceptional standing, examined links between retinal measurements, psychosocial risk factors like childhood social isolation, and cognitive decline in middle age. A Dunedin local, Ashleigh has been involved with the study in multiple ways, including as a research interviewer at the age-45 and age-52 assessment phases.