North West Science Centre Launch Event
PAST EVENT | 17 November 2014 17:00
Dr Jeremy Taylor, Pembroke College Oxford. ‘Will we ever be able to repair someone’s brain?’
Each year over 2000 people in the UK injure their spinal cord and the outlook for these patients is bleak. 60% of these are in the 16-30 age group. The brain and spinal cord are incredibly complex structures, with millions of nerve cells and nerve fibres that are wired up to form an intricate functional network. They are protected by the skull and vertebrae, which means damage is rare, but sadly when they are damaged, repair is generally impossible. In contrast, damage to nerves elsewhere in the body can be repaired, allowing operations such as hand transplants. We will explore why the brain is so hard to repair and why we should be optimistic that we may soon be able to repair the irreparable.
Interested in: Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Medicine, Medical and Health professions
North West Science Centre Launch Event
PAST EVENT | 17 November 2014 17:00
Dr Jeremy Taylor, Pembroke College Oxford. ‘Will we ever be able to repair someone’s brain?’
Each year over 2000 people in the UK injure their spinal cord and the outlook for these patients is bleak. 60% of these are in the 16-30 age group. The brain and spinal cord are incredibly complex structures, with millions of nerve cells and nerve fibres that are wired up to form an intricate functional network. They are protected by the skull and vertebrae, which means damage is rare, but sadly when they are damaged, repair is generally impossible. In contrast, damage to nerves elsewhere in the body can be repaired, allowing operations such as hand transplants. We will explore why the brain is so hard to repair and why we should be optimistic that we may soon be able to repair the irreparable.
Interested in: Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Medicine, Medical and Health professions