Speaker confirmed for Hodge Annual Meeting Public Lecture

Professor Urs Meyer, from the University of Zurich, will deliver a Public Lecture at the Hadyn Ellis Building as part of the Hodge Annual Public Meeting, on Thursday 29 November 2018.

Hosted by Cardiff University’s Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI) and System Immunity Research Institute, registration for the lecture will commence at 4.30pm with a wine reception, followed by the Public Lecture with Professor Meyer at 5.30-6.30pm.

Microglia and Schizophrenia: Scientific Hype or Therapeutic Hope?

Professor Meyer’s main research interests are centred upon the question of how early environmental adversities such as prenatal infection, pubertal stress and nutritional imbalances can influence brain development and shape the risk of long term brain abnormalities. He will discuss the idea that microglial abnormalities might play a role in the aetiology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia, highlighting current controversies and prospects of pre-clinical and clinical research on microglia in schizophrenia.

The event will bring together key figures from the Hodge Centre for Neuropsychiatric Immunology, which was launched in 2016 with a one million pound investment from the Hodge Foundation. The purpose of the Centre is to unite experts in exploring how the brain’s immune system impacts brain conditions such as schizophrenia, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome Professor Meyer to Cardiff University to celebrate our second annual meeting of the Hodge Centre. These meetings are a critical part of the Centre's activities.” said Professor Jeremy Hall, Director and Research Theme Lead at NMHRI.

This year we will also be combining the meeting with an educational session bringing together researchers across neuroscience and immunology to help bridge the gaps between these exciting fields. We are delighted to welcome Professor Meyer who is a leader in the neuro-immunology field with particular interest in how early life events affect immune function in the brain. We will also be welcoming a number of exciting new recruits to the Hodge Centre to Cardiff as well as hearing from a number of our funded projects. I am sure it will be a great day."

Register for free here via Eventbrite.