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Newsletter: February 2024
Welcome to the February newsletter from the Exeter Brain Network!
This edition includes exciting updates from across our network this February, including some great opportunities to get involved in upcoming events!
As always, we welcome any submissions that members feel would be valuable to share, so please get in touch! If you would like to contribute an item to be included in the Exeter Brain Network (EBN) newsletter, please share them here, and they will be included in the next issue.
Contents:
NEWS | EVENTS | MEMBER SUCCESS | RECENT PUBLICATIONS
NEWS
EXETER INNOVATION IDEAS HUB
What’s YOUR idea?
The Ideas Hub is a new resource from Exeter Innovation that is for anyone developing (or considering) external engagement, particularly with business.
Live since October 2023, the Hub is an information resource to support you in applying your research outside of academia.
If you have an idea to work with business that you’re interested in developing, get in touch!
You can register your idea very simply using our Ideas Log which asks just 7 quick questions. You’ll receive a personal response from a member of the Ideas Hub team offering signposting to wider Exeter Innovation support.
In addition to the log the site offers a wealth of information and resources for you to explore to support your development in this area. At the heart of the site is the Business Engagement Toolkit which is packed with practical advice aimed at staff at any career stage and with any level of external engagement experience.
Find out more at www.exeter.ac.uk/ideas-hub and keep an eye out for training and idea development workshops coming in 2024.
EXETER BRAIN NETWORK WEBSITE
Our new EBN website is now live: Exeter Brain | Exeter Brain | University of Exeter. If you have any news (e.g. successful grants, new papers etc.) or events coming up then please do send these over to researchnetworks@exeter.ac.uk.
EVENTS
OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AT PINT OF SCIENCE, OPEN TO ANY CAREER STAGE
Looking for speakers at Pint of Science 2024! The event is taking place on the evening of the 15th May 2024, at Bootlegger. It will be a night about neurodegenerative conditions (or more widely about the brain, it’s going to be advertised as Neuron Night). The event has sponsorship from Alzheimer’s UK.
We’re looking for two speakers. Cutting edge science is great, but as this is an event aimed at the public, charisma, stage presence and ability to simplify things are equally important in making the event work. This is a great opportunity for any career stage. Last year there was a final year BSc student and an associate professor speaking on the same night. More information can be found here about Pint of Science https://pintofscience.co.uk/ .
Please contact Dr Harry Green directly if you would like to find out more: H.D.Green@exeter.ac.uk .
BRITISH NEUROPSYCHIATRY ASSOCIATION (BNPA) ANNUAL MEETING
“How do our situations and environment shape us?”
The British Neuropsychiatry Association are delighted to be able to share the programme for their 37th annual conference.
Save the Date: March 14th and 15th for two days of unparalleled knowledge exchange, groundbreaking research, and vibrant networking.
Why should you come?
Hear from world renowned experts on the latest advancements in:
- The role of artificial intelligence in diagnosis and treatment.
- Understanding and treating the neuropsychiatric impact of our environment
- Exploring the intersection of culture, ethnicity, and mental health.
Engage in panel discussions; build valuable connections with likeminded colleagues; and showcase your own research through our interactive datablitz sessions.
MEMBER SUCCESS
FELLOWSHIP SUCCESS FOR EXETER BRAIN MEMBER
Ruth Carmichael, currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Biosciences department, has been awarded a BBSRC Discovery Fellowship. This 3-year project will investigate how and why two types of metabolic organelle (peroxisomes and mitochondria) interact in neuronal cells, and how this can be exploited to improve neuronal health. Ruth will be hosted in the lab of Prof Michael Schrader (Biosciences, Exeter) as well as collaborating with the University of Bristol, University of Toronto, Amsterdam Medical Centre and Novartis.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
RECENT REVIEW ARTICLE ON PAEDIATRIC CRYPTOCOCCOSIS
Cryptococcus is the most common cause of meningitis in adults living with HIV, but little is known about the disease in children for whom reported prevalence is much lower. This is the largest review on paediatric cryptococcosis to date, including 168 publications and a total of 1469 children, and describes new observations in clinical presentation and outcome depending on the underlying condition. 54.2% of children were from Africa and 65% of children were HIV-positive. Only 22% received the World Health Organization recommended antifungal combination therapy, with an overall mortality of 23%.
Access the article here: Pediatric Cryptococcosis : The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal (lww.com)
STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF ACUTE SLEEP RESTRICTION AND SUBSEQUENT CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION ON NEUROVASCULAR COUPLING:
Congratulations to Alice Lester, who published her paper concerned with the effect of acute sleep restriction and subsequent caffeine consumption on neurovascular coupling in the Journal of Sleep Research. Alice’s PhD research is considering the role that habitual sleep may have on parameters of cerebrovascular health, and the study is inviting anyone over the age of 10 to be involved. The study requires a familiarisation visit, and then a follow-up morning visit to the laboratory on St Luke’s campus.
Access to the article here: The effects of partial sleep restriction and subsequent caffeine ingestion on neurovascular coupling - Lester - Journal of Sleep Research - Wiley Online Library
If you would like to have your sleep and cerebrovascular function assessed (ultrasound), then you can email her directly: al801@exeter.ac.uk.
PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT LINKED TO BETTER BRAIN HEALTH IN OLDER ADULTS
Engaging in music throughout your life is associated with better brain health in older age, according to a new study published. Scientists working on PROTECT, an online study open to people aged 40 and over, reviewed data from more than a thousand adults over the age of 40 to see the effect of playing a musical instrument – or singing in a choir – on brain health. Over 25000 people have signed up for the PROTECT study, which has been running for 10 years.
Access to the article here: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry | Wiley Online Library.
More information here: Playing an instrument linked to better brain health in older adults - News (exeter.ac.uk)
Exeter Brain is coordinated by Dr Sam Hughes and Dr Asami Oguro-Ando
Please email Sophie Clarke to submit items for future newsletters by the last Friday of each month. To find out more about our work, please get in touch with us.
