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Join us to discover the innovative models being used to study Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Two researchers based in London will give a snapshot of the current science taking place in their laboratories, including the efforts to understand the basis of memory impairment and how to build a brain in a dish.
What is the biological basis of memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease?
Professor Peter Giese
(Chair of Neuroscience of Mental Health, King's College London)
Memory impairment occurs in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Extensive neuropathological investigations have concluded that dysfunction at synapses, the connection between nerve cells, causes the memory impairment. It is of great interest to develop a biochemical understanding of the synaptic impairments in order to develop an early treatment for Alzheimer's disease. I will talk about our research on biochemical changes at synapses in Alzheimer's disease.
Building a brain in a dish: how can stem cells help us understand dementia?
Dr Selina Wray
(Alzheimer's Research UK Senior Research Fellow at UCL Institute of Neurology)
Progress towards understanding dementia has been challenging, in part due to the inaccessibility of the human brain during life. This talk will discuss recent technological advances in our ability to image the brain during life, grow human brain cells in the laboratory, and how these are accelerating our understanding of dementia and improving diagnosis and the development of potential treatments.
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