Schools

The Engaging with Dementia project ran a series of practical workshops for A-level students looking at how brain-cell function changes in Alzheimer’s disease.

In the two-part workshop, students gained hands-on experience of recording action potentials in snail neurones, investigating how ion channel modulators and other agents affect neuronal function. In the second half, we discussed the wider ethical issues surrounding research into Alzheimer’s disease including the use of animal models, benefits of research to patients and the future impact Alzheimer's disease is likely to have on society.

The first two workshops were run as part of the Leeds Festival of Science 2014; with the final workshop held at the Biological Sciences Summer School.

We are working to develop resources based on the workshop that can be used in schools to follow up this topic.