Neuroscience research themes

Neurodegeneration

Neurodegeneration | Neuroscience research themes | Faculty of Biological Sciences | University of Leeds

As we get older, our nervous system deteriorates causing reduction in our mental ability, making it harder to learn and remember, and changes our personality. In some individuals such changes are associated with a genetic cause and occur at an early age displaying profound differences in behaviour from the societal norm. Ongoing neurodegeneration leads to continuing decline in an individual’s mental and physical health. The resulting effects on such patients are huge, ultimately fatal and we currently have no cures or effective treatments for them.

At Leeds we are working to understand some of molecular pathways involved in the disease progression and identify what the involvement of specific genes, and the genetic variation within them, is to the disease process. Our major goal is to determine how drugs that interfere with these pathways can protect the neurones from deteriorating and improve cognition within patients.

View a list of academics in Neurodegeneration

View a list of postdoctoral researchers in Neurodegeneration

View a list of PhD students in Neurodegeneration

Name

Dr Steve Clapcote
Lecturer in Pharmacology

Professor Jim Deuchars
Professor of Systems Neuroscience

Dr Rene Frank
University Academic Fellow in Structural Neuroscience

Dr Eric Hewitt
Associate Professor

Dr Lin-Hua Jiang
Lecturer

Dr Jamie Johnston
University Academic Fellow

Dr Jessica Kwok
Associate Professor

Dr Patricija Van Oosten-Hawle
Lecturer
Professor Sheena Radford
Astbury Professor of Biophysics
Dr Ian Wood
Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience