A Brief Overview of My Research
My research focuses on a technique called non-invasive brain stimulation, which uses gentle stimulation to influence brain activity without surgery. My aim is to establish if this approach can reduce seizures in a model that combines both epilepsy and AD. Ultimately, my goal is to develop treatments that not only reduce seizures, but also improve cognition in people living with both conditions.
What projects will you be working on this year and what are the aims of that research?
During my fellowship, I have developed a greater understanding of changes in the brain that occur when epilepsy and AD are present together. This knowledge is helping us to identify potential targets for future treatments.
Alongside this, we have generated exciting new data showing how our chosen non-invasive brain stimulation technique affects the brain. Building on these findings, I will now apply a more targeted form of this stimulation technique, directly addressing the specific brain changes that appear to drive seizure activity.
This work will help achieve one of the main aims of my fellowship: developing an effective way to reduce seizures in this combined epilepsy-Alzheimer’s disease model. The findings could also have wider implications for treating epilepsy in the context of AD.
You were invited to co-chair our recent Navigator Symposium on Late-onset Epilepsy (LOE). Why was that such an important event and what did you learn from it?
It was a fantastic day! It’s so important to provide a platform for specific areas of epilepsy, such as late-onset epilepsy. The symposium brought together leading experts in the field, early career researchers and people affected by epilepsy to share ideas and discuss future priorities.
At the start of the day, we outlined our hopes for the future of research in late-onset epilepsy:
I learnt so much from the talks and discussions. One of my key takeaways was understanding late-onset epilepsy as an expression of disrupted systems within the brain, which can be uniquely targetable. In addition, collaboration and continued discussions between laboratory and clinical researchers will allow us to understand the mechanisms which contribute to late-onset epilepsy and develop interventions that improve outcomes for people living with the condition.
What are your hopes for the future of research into epilepsy?
I believe we made great progress throughout the day. The discussions advanced our hopes and vision for future research into late-onset epilepsy and highlighted the exciting momentum from researchers and people affected by epilepsy.
Looking ahead, I’m hopeful we can continue breaking down barriers between different research disciplines, both within epilepsy research and across related fields, to develop meaningful collaborations between researchers and people with lived experience of epilepsy. This collaborative, cross-disciplinary work represents a timely and vital direction for the future of epilepsy research.
