Heart disease and ageing experts at science festival
Release Date 17 September 2010
Two scientists from the University of Reading will be presenting at the British Science Festival, talking about research into cardiovascular diseases and how ageing affects our emotions.
Professor Jon Gibbins, of the School of Biological Sciences, will talk on ‘Preventing cardiovascular disease in an obese world' on Friday 17 September. He will examine the impact of scientific research on cardiovascular disease, exploring the key approaches in preventing heart attacks and strokes. The presentation will highlight successes, troubling trends and ongoing research solutions.
On the same day, Dr Carien van Reekum, from the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Science, outlines how older brains process emotional information differently in ‘Bliss or blues? Rapture or rage?'
Professor Gibbins said: "Cardiovascular diseases, which include heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, are the cause of approximately 200,000 deaths a year in the UK alone. They are becoming an increasing burden in rapidly developing nations with very large populations.
"By using a combination of research approaches and expertise, the University of Reading is tackling this healthcare crisis from a number of innovative directions. In the past, improvement in the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders has been a key focus of research in this area, with less attention paid to the prevention of disease development.
"We bring together these approaches, studying both normal healthy and disease processes. This will enable us to combine the science behind the prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic disease development with more effective and safer therapies."
Dr van Reekum's research aims to better understand the brain mechanisms involved in emotion elicitation, and how emotion and emotion regulation, change across the lifespan.
She said: "When life is good, our joy is irrepressible but the world seems colourless when we are miserable. My research looks at what our brains look like when we process emotion. For example do we function better when we are happy and how does our brain work in this?"
Professor Gibbins will be giving a press conference on his research from 11.45am -12.15pm on Friday 17 September and his presentation from 1-2pm in MB155, Aston University. Dr van Reekum's event will run from 10am to 4pm in the Blue Room, Students' Guild, Aston University.
ENDS
For more information please contact Rona Cheeseman, press officer, on 0118 378 7388 or email r.cheeseman@reading.ac.uk
Notes to editors
Professor Gibbins and Dr van Reekum will be available for interview at the British Science Festival on Friday, 17 September. Contact Rona Cheeseman as above, or, if on the day, call 07515 188 751.
The School of Biological Sciences is a research intensive institution, comprised of two departments, Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Biology. It includes the BioCentre for post-genomic research, and the Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research (ICMR). The ICMR is a multi-disciplinary centre that brings together scientists from a wide range of research fields to work to understand the development of cardiovascular diseases, and the underlying obesity-related metabolic diseases from which they develop.
The Department of Psychology has a long-standing reputation for excellence in experimental psychology, perception, learning, memory and skilled performance. In more recent years, research has strengthened in the field of developmental psychology, neuroscience, ageing, emotional disorders in child and adulthood, virtual reality and multimedia interactions.
It includes The Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) which builds upon existing interdisciplinary research into the physiological and psychological mechanisms underpinning complex cognitive behaviours, targeting typical and atypical development and decline in individuals. CINN research involves scientists in Psychology, Pharmacy, Biosciences and Genetics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Cybernetics and Clinical Language Sciences.
For details of the British Science Festival, visit www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/BritishScienceFestival