Brain disease: a stroke of bad luck
Event review: The Leverhulme Lecture
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| Dame Nancy Rothwell FRS, explained
to an appreciative audience how
strokes affect
the brain |
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On 6 March 2008, the
Liverpool and North West Regional
Group held their prestigious
Leverhulme Lecture at the chemistry
department of the University
of Liverpool. The speaker was eminent
scientist Professor Dame
Nancy Rothwell FRS, who researches
on the science of the human
brain. The lecture, entitled ‘Brain
disease: a stroke of bad luck’, provided
an understanding and appreciation
of the work Dame Nancy
has carried out in studying the
causes of a stroke and the consequences
for the brain. Dame Nancy
also detailed some of the methods
that medical science is using in the
hope of alleviating the problems
caused by strokes.
Dame Nancy was an impressive
speaker, with a clear delivery of a
complex subject. Her extensive
knowledge in this field was obvious,
and the lecture proved gripping
and easy for all to understand.
Dame Nancy’s team works at
Manchester University, where
she is also Deputy Vice
Chancellor. The location, she
explained, is fortuitous, because
Manchester has one of
the highest rates of stroke in
the country, with over 17 per
100 000 people dying from the
condition. Apparently the quieter
climes of North Devon
make it the safest place to reside
in the UK to avoid a stroke,
with as few as four people per
100 000 suffering from the illness.
After concluding her lecture,
Dame Nancy fielded a lively question-
and-answer session from the
audience, which led to some interesting
comments about how stress,
although a potential contributor
to the likelihood of stroke, is still
very much dependent on
the individual. Some
people working under
very high stress can
thrive on the pressure,
while others
will have increased
blood pressure and
be less healthy simply
because of the way
they mentally handle
stress.
 Following on from
the lecture, invited
guests relocated to
the magnificent Liverpool Anglican
Cathedral, where they were treated
to a fine, three-course meal. The
event concluded with Sandy Gray,
Chair of SCI’s Board of Trustees,
speaking on the future of SCI (pictured).
Prestigious lectures such as this
are real highlights in the Liverpool
and North West Group calendar,
as well as for the whole of SCI. They demonstrate the unique benefits
of SCI, which delivers both a
public discussion of the application
of science, as well as providing
a forum for networking professionals.
In addition to Sandy Gray, John
Beacham (SCI Honorary President)
and Andrew Ladds (Chief Executive
of SCI) were both in attendance.
John Beacham, a previous
Leverhulme speaker himself,
thanked the SCI Liverpool and
North West Group for all their
hard work and for running such a
successful and prestigious lecture.
Thanks go to the Liverpool and
North West Group committee for
organising an excellent event —
with particular thanks to Caroline
Cordery, Ian O’Neil, Alan Heaton
and Marie Connor.
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