Ageing and degeneration

The brain is a marvellous, complex organ made up of billions of neuronal cells connected in functional networks. The neurons are supported by billions of glial cells that help maintain neuronal function and protect the brain from infection.  

When this intricate system goes wrong due to neurodegenerative diseases such as dementias and motorneurone diseases, the consequences are devastating.  Even in the absence of disease, many of us experience some deterioration of brain function as we age, such as a decline in memory, and age is the most important risk factor for the most common neurodegenerative diseases.

Currently, we do not fully understand the changes that cause a decline in function during ageing, why ageing predisposes people to diseases like dementia, or how neurodegenerative diseases kill neuronal networks leading to dramatic loss of function and death.   

In this theme, we are working to understand these important questions at many levels including molecules, cells, circuits, systems, and function.  We use a combination of techniques and models including examining structural and molecular changes in human post-mortem tissue, probing cellular function and dysfunction in vitro using cells from disease models and human stem cells, and looking for mechanisms circuit dysfunction and neurodegeneration in models of disease.

Neurodegenerative diseases cost the UK over £26 billion each year. We do not yet have effective treatments for these diseases, and the societal impacts of these diseases are intensifying as our population ages. Understanding the fundamental changes that occur during ageing and degeneration is essential to developing effective treatments.

Theme Lead: Prof Tara Spires-Jones