Brain Awareness Week 2024: Join us in the Hub for a series of brain related talks on Friday 15th March 2024.

11 Mar 2024

Lecturer Dr Sarah Nicolas and PhD student Ms Patricia Flynn, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience host a series of short brain related talks as part of Brain Awareness Week 2024. 

The Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience Brain Awareness Week event will take place at 13:00 to 15:00 on Friday 15th of March in the Shtepps lecture hall in the UCC Hub. 

Introduced by Ms Patricia O Flynn the talks by invited PhD students, Ms Aisling Noone, Mr Aimone Ferri and Ms Joan Omosefe Osayande will explore the prenatal brain and look at the link between diet and the healty brain and also the role of the gut brain axis in Parkinson's disease. The presentations will be followed by an address by Professor Aideen Sullivan, Head of Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience. There will be an opportunity to chat with the speakers, organisers and staff from the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience over tea/coffee after the event, and will as in previous years be a very relaxed and infromative event.

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is the global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. Organised by the Dana Foundation, Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an opportunity to let people know about the progress that is being done in brain research as well as progress in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, schizophrenia and depression.

Meet the speakers:

Speaker 1: Ms Aisling Noone, third year PhD student with supervisors Dr. Jane English and Dr. Siobhain O'Mahony in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience. Aisling's research area focuses on identifying a protein signature at birth which may indicate risk of Autism outcome.  

Title of presentation The prenatal brain: The origin of neurodevelopmental disorders:  Aisling will explore in utero-development of the foetal brain, with a focus on how environmental and genetic factors play a role in altered neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants and children. She will also discuss biomarkers, and their application to and utility within clinical practice.

Speaker 2: Mr Aimone Ferri, PhD student working with supervisors Professor John F. Cryan and Dr. Gerard Clarke in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience and APC Microbiome Ireland. Aimone's research area focuses on human nutrition, mental health, cognitive function, stress and the microbiota gut-brain axis.

Title of presentation: From the plate to the brain: exploring the interplay between the diet and the microbiota gut-brain axis. Aimone will explore the intricate relationship between gut microbes, food, and the brain. Aimone will also explain how the interaction between food and your gut microbes can affect mood and how different diets can enhance different aspects of brain health.

Speaker: Ms Joan Omosefe Osayande, second year PhD student working with supervisor Professor Aideen Sullivan, in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience. Joan's research focuses on Parkinson's disease and gut microbiome.

Title of presentation:The link between Parkinson's disease, the second brain and its microbial organ. In her talk Joan will discuss the current understanding of Parkinson's disease and its treatments.  She will also discuss how the gut, and microbes in the gut could be involved in the manifestation of the disease.

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is the global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. Organised by the Dana Foundation, Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an opportunity to let people know about the progress that is being done in brain research as well as progress in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, schizophrenia and depression.

The Department has been very active in increasing public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research, have a look back at some previous Brain Awareness Week events hosted by the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience.

• Informal evening of Scientific discussion for Brain Awareness Week in UCC Staff Common Room
• Fun and games at Brain Awareness Week outreach event in Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience
• UCC Neuroscientists promote 'Healthy Brain Ageing' in local primary schools
• UCC Neuroscientists visit local primary schools for Brain Awareness Week

For more on this story contact:

News item and photographs: Bereniece Riedewald.

Event Flyers: Brice Cortadi.

Photograph of Mr Aimone Ferri: Mr Ken O'Riordan.