Successful public lecture on latest Parkinson’s Disease research

A senior researcher from the Dementia Research Institute (DRI) has presented a public lecture as part of Cardiff University’s Science in Health Live series, focused on Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide and is the fastest-growing non-infectious global pandemic.

There is currently no cure for PD, and therefore there is a desperate need for new and effective treatments to tackle this disease.

Dr Dayne Beccano-Kelly is a UK Research and Innovation Future Leader Fellow based in the Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences (DPMCN). Dr Beccano-Kelly spoke about his research which involves studying how the cells of the brain change during PD starting at the earliest stages and mapping them over time.

Dr Beccano-Kelly said: “It was great to present my talk as part of Cardiff University’s Science in Health Live series. I believe that since health research is done for the benefit of all, we should regularly informing and updating everyone as to its progress and direction.  It was, therefore, a pleasure to give the talk.”

PD is often thought of as a disease of old age, but evidence suggests that the death of neurons initiates with normal functions going wrong a long time before the well-known clinical symptoms start.

Dr Beccano-Kelly added: “Specifically my lab believes this early dysfunction occurs in and around the main job of neurons: electrical communication. Due to the unique and wonderful way in which The UKRI has funded my project, my lab work in the DRI aims to identify early signs of degeneration associated with the disease, focusing on this communication and critically the way it changes over time.

“Research taking place in the DRI and across DPMCN is at the forefront of striving to improve the lives of people living with neurogenerative disorders.”

Dr Dayne Beccano-Kelly’s talk, It's about time: How early changes at the synapse may impact Parkinson's disease, was recorded on 17 February and is available to view online.

To find out more about the public lecture series, please visit Cardiff University’s Science in Health Live webpage.