‘Using the Power of Youth to Restore the Wisdom of Old Age’ - 11th February

Published On Thu 5 Feb 2015 by Grant Hill

University of Dundee neuroscientist Dr Ros Langston will next week explain how the key to preventing disease such as Alzheimer's or Huntington's may lie in our formative years.

She will lead the next Café Science Extra event at Dundee Science Centre on Wednesday, 11th February with a talk entitled, ‘Using the Power of Youth to Restore the Wisdom of Old Age’.

Dr Langston said, “The ability to learn and remember complex information about the world around us develops slowly from birth, reaches a peak as we mature. However, this ability then often declines during old age or in neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer's and Huntington's.

“I study the building blocks of memory early in postnatal development to see how they are constructed, and predict what the weak points are that might be the most susceptible to damage later in life.”

Café Science was launched in January 2008, and has attracted over 5000 visitors since then. The monthly events are informal discussions led by leading local researchers that allow members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the ground-breaking science happening locally.

Café Science Extra allows members of the public to meet with up-and-coming scientists from the Universities of Dundee, St Andrews and Abertay, the James Hutton Institute, and Dundee Science Centre.

‘Using the Power of Youth to Restore the Wisdom of Old Age’ takes place at Infusion coffee shop, Dundee Science Centre, at 6pm on Wednesday, 11th February. Doors open at 5.30pm, and the event is free and open to all. There is no need to book in advance but an early arrival is recommended.

More information is available at www.cafesciencedundee.co.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277