Dementia Researcher Blogs

Nathan Stephens - Am I doing PPI or Was that PPI?

Nathan Stephens narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
In this blog Nathan discusses Patient and Public Involvement, unpacking what that actually means in respect of other similar concepts such as participation and engagement, how PPI can be done throughout the research process, and drawing on my experiences of intentionally and unintentionally doing involvement activities. If you are just starting out with you studies this could be helpful to support PPI elements in your research proposal and ethics, or if your research is underway like Nathan's, it may just be useful to validate your activities and situate them in the research process.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-am-i-doing-ppi-or-was-that-ppi/
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Nathan Stephens is a PhD Student and unpaid carer, working on his PhD at University of Worcester, studying the Worcestershire Meeting Centres Community Support Programme. Inspired by caring for both grandparents and personal experience of dementia, Nathan has gone from a BSc in Sports & Physical Education, an MSc in Public Health, and now working on his PhD.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society, who we thank for their ongoing support.

Meet Dr Mizuki Morisaki, University of St Andrews

Last week we attended the Alzheimer's Research UK Conference in Brighton. We took time out from the programme to talk with early career dementia researchers to ask them about their work, the challenges they have faced and how they overcame them, and to share a highlight from the conference.
In this short interview we talk with Dr Mizuki Morisaki, Research Fellow at University of St Andrews (starting at University of Bristol soon). Mizuki recently finished her PhD focused on how “stress” affects ageing in the brain particularly in the hippocampus using in vitro/in vivo models. Mizuki worked with neurons on the dish as well as birds flying in the aviary! Now her research is more focusing on the in vitro model using neurons as well as microglia, and soon she will be getting hands on with human brain tissue in Bristol.
Find out more about Mizuki and her work on our website:
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/profile-dr-mizuki-morisaki-university-of-st-andrews/
If you would like to join us and add your profile and short interview to our researchers profile, drop us a line to dementiaresearcher@nihr.ac.uk 

Meet Elizabeth English, University of Cambridge

This week we've been attending the Alzheimer's Research UK Conference in Brighton. We took time out from the programme to talk with early career dementia researchers to ask them about their work, the challenges they have faced and how they overcame them, and to share a highlight from the conference.
In this short interview we talk with Elizabeth 'Lizzie' English, PhD Student at University of Cambridge. Lizzie is utilising biophysical methods to characterise protein aggregates and their toxicity mechanisms in neurodegenerative disease. In her work she is currently utilising post-mortem brain samples, but is keen to investigate clinical samples, like blood and saliva. 
Find out more about Lizzie and her work on our website:
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/profile-elizabeth-english-university-of-cambridge/
If you would like to join us and add your profile and short interview to our researchers profile, drop us a line to dementiaresearcher@nihr.ac.uk 

Meet Dr Ian Harrison, University College London

This week we've been attending the Alzheimer's Research UK Conference in Brighton. We took time out from the programme to talk with early career dementia researchers to ask them about their work, the challenges they have faced and how they overcame them, and to share a highlight from the conference.
In this short interview we talk with Dr Ian Harrison, Senior Research Fellow at University College London. Ian's work looks at the function of the glymphatic system in the brain, responsible for the clearance of protein solutes from the brain parenchyma. Ian and his lab are investigating the role of this system in neurodegenerative disease, to see if it is responsible for the accumulation of misfolded protein in disease like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and test whether we can alter its function as a therapy in these disorders.
Find out more about Ian and his work on our website:
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/profile-dr-ian-harrison-university-college-london/
If you would like to join us and add your profile and short interview to our researchers profile, drop us a line to dementiaresearcher@nihr.ac.uk 

Dr Clarissa Giebel - Running a Journal Club and how to be Reviewer 2 in a safe environment

Dr Clarissa Giebel narrates her blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Is your inbox getting regular email requests to peer review a paper in your field? Has it increased since the pandemic? It certainly has for Clarissa. Peer reviewing manuscripts is a key part of our work, and when reviews don't happen authors may wait around for longer to get their decision. But what about peer reviewing a paper when it’s already published? Also known as the good old Journal Club... In this blog Clarissa discusses her experiences of starting a journal club, what it involves and provides tips for anyone who may be attending their first, making the case that its great prep for going on to peer review pre-publication.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-running-a-journal-club-and-how-to-be-reviewer-2-in-a-safe-environment/
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Dr Clarissa Giebel is a Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool and NIHR ARC North West Coast. Clarissa has been working in dementia care research for over 10 years focusing her research on helping people with dementia to live at home independently and well for longer, addressing inequalities that people with dementia and carers can face. Outside of her day work, Clarissa has also organised a local dementia network - the Liverpool Dementia & Ageing Research Forum, and has recently started her own podcast called the Ageing Scientist.
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If you would like to write your own blog drop us a line, we're always on the look out for new contributors to write about their research, careers + more dementiaresearcher@nihr.ac.uk

Felicity Slocombe and Chloe Waterman - Dementia and stigma through the lenses of neuro-culture and neoliberalism

Felicity Slocombe, narrates her blog co-authored with Chloe Waterman written for the Dementia Researcher website.
This blog has been written after myself and my colleague Chloe realised the similarity and overlap of two theories we use respectively in our PhD research. We hope to show how neuro-culture (Chloe) and neoliberalism (Felicity) are negatively impacting people with dementia. If we can understand and accept that we live within these cultures in society, we may better understand the continued stigmatisation of dementia? Listen and we will explain.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-dementia-and-stigma-through-the-lenses-of-neuro-culture-and-neoliberalism/
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Felicity Slocombe is a first year PhD Student from Loughborough University. Felicity's research focuses on identity and dementia and how identity can be managed interactionally – how we can help support identity of people living with dementia through our conversations. Driven by a family connection to dementia, and writing each month on a range of topics from her work, and that of her wider group ACTInG (Applied Cognition Technology and Interaction Group), and sharing news from her training and events.
Chloe Waterman is a PhD Student at University of Birmingham and Research Associate at Kings College London. Her research investigates how people with dementia are affected by mental capacity law in England and Wales. Chloe uses discourse and conversation analysis to conduct this socio-legal research, and work at King's, Chloe is involved with projects investigating how community led support programmes work, and how digital tech innovations can be used to improve social wellbeing for older community dwelling adults.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
 

Adam Smith - Dementia Champions - Inspiring or a false narrative?

Adam Smith narrates his blog written for Dementia Researcher.
Every now and again a little twitter storm blows-up, it probably isn’t big enough to be given a name yet, however its underlying cause is worth talking about… In this blog Adam walking out into the storm and discusses Dementia Champions, their work, living well with dementia and the overall narrative and how dementia is perceived as a result of their great work - do they present a true picture of life with dementia?
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-dementia-champions-inspiring-or-a-false-narrative/
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Adam Smith was born in the north, a long time ago. He wanted to write books, but ended up working in the NHS, and at the Department of Health.  He is now Programme Director in the Office of the NIHR National Director for Dementia Research (which probably sounds more important than it is) at University College London. He has led a number of initiatives to improve dementia research (including this website, Join Dementia Research & ENRICH), as well as pursuing his own research interests. In his spare time, he grows vegetables, builds Lego & spends most of his time drinking too much coffee and squeezing technology into his house.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
 
Note: The author of this blog uses the term 'Dementia Champion' to describe a person with lived experience of dementia, who shares their experience - in Scotland a 'Dementia Champion' is a health and social care professional that has completed an intensive eight-month programme, to see, hear and feel the experiences of people living with dementia through working closely with them, their carers and their families. It enables the professionals to take the practical knowledge they have learned and share it to make a real difference in their everyday work, whether that is in hospital wards or in community care settings. In Scotland the current term for people with dementia participating in research and education is active voices.

Masha Burelo - Cannabinoids and Anxiety

Masha Burelo narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website.
Masha Burelo, PhD Student from University of Aberdeen is back with her second blog in the 'from the plant to the lab series'. Masha is now focussed on dementia research, but her pervious work on cannabinoids, is shared through this series and today she writes about their use in the treatment of anxiety. Cannabis has been used for many years as an alternative therapy for anxiety, but some research has provided evidence of its anxiogenic effect. Anxiogenesis means that it can cause anxiety as well. Therefore, are cannabinoids good for treating anxiety? This blog explores the research.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-cannabinoids-and-anxiety/
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Masha Burelo is a PhD Student at the University of Aberdeen. Her research explores Electrophysiology and behavioural evaluation in preclinical models of Alzheimer’s disease. Masha started her studies in veterinary medicine in Mexico and first became interested in cannabinoids when her dog developed epilepsy, then with close family members struck by Alzheimer's Disease her interest in neuroscience, plants and the brain developed.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

Dr Yvonne Couch - Brain Imaging, Inside The Black Box

Dr Yvonne Couch, narrates her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website.
Yvonne brings her usual fun to exploring different types of brain imaging and how they’re applied. Neuroimaging, or brain scanning, includes the use of various techniques to either directly or indirectly image the structure, function, or pharmacology of the brain. Neuroimaging falls into two broad categories: structural imaging and functional imaging.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to show brain activity under certain psychological states, such as alertness or drowsiness.
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scans show brain processes by using the sugar glucose in the brain to illustrate where neurons are firing.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans use echo waves to discriminate among grey matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans are a series of MRIs measuring brain function via a computer’s combination of multiple images taken less than a second apart.
Find the original text, and narration here on our website.
https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/guest-blog-brain-imaging-inside-the-black-box/
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Dr Yvonne Couch is an Alzheimer's Research UK Fellow at the University of Oxford. Yvonne studies the role of extracellular vesicles and their role in changing the function of the vasculature after stroke, aiming to discover why the prevalence of dementia after stroke is three times higher than the average. It is her passion for problem solving and love of science that drives her, in advancing our knowledge of disease. Yvonne has joined the team of staff bloggers at Dementia Researcher, and will be writing about her work and life as she takes a new road into independent research.
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Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk