UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences

UCL News September 2025

The latest UCL newsletter is out!

Read about UCL being rated as a leading university for knowledge exchange five years in a row by Research England, the UCL gene therapy trial which appears to slow Huntington’s disease progression and more: bit.ly/4mWYI6g

Research Fellow in Mental Health at UCL Apply for the Research Fellow in Mental Health role on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board for academic positions in higher education. View details and apply now.

I'm hiring! ✨ Looking for a Research Fellow to study environmental factors that mitigate intergenerational transmission of mental health.

3-year post at UCL @uclbrainscience.bsky.social with great opportunities for training, collaboration & exciting science!

🔗 Apply: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOZ633/r...

To mark #WorldMentalHealthDay, we spoke to Prof @kirkbride.bsky.social about how our environment — from green spaces to social inequality — shapes our mental wellbeing.
www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc... @uclpsychiatry.bsky.social

Can (and should) we cure blindness? Recent years have seen incredible advances in eyesight restoration. But should we approach blindness as something that needs to be 'cured'? Comedian Tom Skelton, who started losing his sight at 21, ex...

This #WorldSightDay we share a short film for BBC ideas, in partnership with UKRI, featuring work by 3 @ucleye.bsky.social researchers: PhD student Zaynab Butt, Dr @amandajcarr.bsky.social and pioneering eye researcher Professor Pete Coffey who passed away in June 2025. www.bbc.co.uk/videos/c4gd5...

In this lecture, Professor Selina Wray shows how stem cell models reveal early Alzheimer's changes using patient neurons and how this may help the development of new treatment. About the… Lunch Hour Lecture | World Alzheimer’s Month: The future of dementia research

Missed last month’s Lunch Hour Lecture with Professor @selinawray.bsky.social (@uclqsion.bsky.social)?
Discover the future of dementia research in this thought-provoking talk — now on YouTube!
🎥 Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKiu...
#DementiaResearch

When I began recording the activity of neurons, it seemed like magic: we would shine a stimulus in front of the eyes, and the neurons in the visual cortex would spring to life. It still feels magical, 35 years later.

👁️ On #WorldSightDay, we celebrate the groundbreaking work of Matteo Carandini, Professor of Visual Neuroscience at @ucleye.bsky.social. We sat down with him to discuss his career and why he first became interested in this area of study.
🔗 www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

YouTube video by UK Dementia Research Institute - UK DRI Rethinking neurodegeneration: Could DNA repair hold the key to treating Huntington's disease?

Recording now available from this week's 'Rethinking neurodegeneration' research webinar with the brilliant Profs Sarah Tabrizi (UK DRI at UCL) and Gabriel Balmus (UK DRI at Cambridge) discussing DNA repair and Huntington's

Catch up now if you missed it 👉 youtu.be/cXsrYM2Fq7g?...

This month we spoke to Professor Steven Bloch, expert in speech & language therapy and conversation analysis at @uclpals.bsky.social. We find out more about how he got into this fascinating field of research.
www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

PTSD often overlooked in autistic people and needs better diagnosis, new analysis finds Autistic children and adults may be experiencing PTSD at higher rates than official diagnoses suggest, with their symptoms misdiagnosed or dismissed as being autism traits because of 'diagnostic…

Autistic children and adults may be experiencing PTSD at higher rates than official diagnoses suggest, with their symptoms misdiagnosed or dismissed as being autism traits because of 'diagnostic overshadowing,’ finds a new analysis by @uclpals.bsky.social researchers.

Motor neurone disease progresses at a different rate in each individual, @ucl.ac.uk’s Prof Andrea Malaspina tells @skynewsrss.bsky.social following the news that former England rugby captain & World Cup winner Lewis Moody has been diagnosed with the condition @uclbrainscience.bsky.social

We need awareness in the workplace so that support and reasonable adjustments can be made for dyslexic adults. In line with this, we need to remove any stigma there might be about disclosing a dyslexia diagnosis. We know that dyslexia is not related to intelligence yet, for some, this myth persists.

Today marks the start of #DyslexiaAwarenessWeek.
We spoke to Dr Rebecca Gordon about #dyslexia and how the brain processes written language.
www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
@ioe.bsky.social

My voyage to explore how Marshallese sailors find their way at sea without technology Scientists have been exploring the role that neuroscience plays in ocean navigation.

🌊 No GPS. No compass. Just waves, stars & memory.
Join a remarkable voyage across the Pacific to uncover how Marshallese navigators find their way at sea using ancient techniques — and what neuroscience reveals about this lost art.
theconversation.com/my-voyage-to... @hugospiers.bsky.social

BBC Two - Secrets of the Brain, Series 1, Episode 1 Jim Al-Khalili reveals how the staggeringly complex human brain evolved.

📺 Professor Joseph Devlin (@uclpals.bsky.social) joins Jim Al-Khalili to unravel the mystery of how the most complex structure known in the universe - the human brain - came to exist.
Watch now:

Research Fellow: Gut-brain axis in Parkinson’s Research Fellow at UK DRI UCL in the Bartels Lab. Focus on gut-brain axis and neuro-immune interaction in Parkinson’s disease. One-year post from May 2026.

Research Fellow Vacancy at @ukdri.ac.uk UCL in the Bartels Lab. Focus on gut-brain axis and neuro-immune interaction in Parkinson’s disease. One-year post from May 2026. Closing date: 30th October

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/job/research...

Mum died of Huntington’s... this breakthrough changes eve... A professor battling to slow the disease that killed writer Charlotte Raven shared his good news with her daughter

“This would have been such a massive deal for her."
Anna Sheahan's mum sadly died of Huntington's disease (HD) last year.
Anna speaks to The Observer about what @uclqsion.bsky.social's HD breakthrough means to families like hers:

Parkinson’s ‘trigger’ directly observed in human brain tissue for the first time A team involving UCL scientists has, for the first time, directly visualised and quantified the protein clusters believed to trigger Parkinson’s disease.

A team involving @uclqsion.bsky.social scientists has, for the first time, directly visualised and quantified the protein clusters believed to trigger Parkinson’s disease.

The Life Scientific - Sonia Gandhi on building model brains to tackle Parkinson’s disease - BBC Sounds Sonia Gandhi on trying to tackle the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world.

Parkinson’s is now the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.
In this podcast, Dr Sonia Gandhi (@uclqsion.bsky.social) shares more about her work to reverse that trend.
🎧 Listen now:

TURNING THE TIDE PART 2 This is "TURNING THE TIDE PART 2" by Quickfire on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Discover how @uclqsion.bsky.social scientists are unlocking new treatments and hope for those affected by motor neuron disease. Watch the full story 👇 #MND

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.

4/ 🧬 Gene therapy shows promise in slowing Huntington’s disease progression in trial led by @uclqsion.bsky.social researchers.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Groundbreaking sight loss treatment now available on NHS England Idebenone may improve eyesight in people with Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

3/ 👁️ A novel treatment for a rare genetic eye disease that can lead to sudden loss of vision, has been approved for NHS patients following a successful clinical trial co-led by @ucleye.bsky.social and Moorfields researcher. www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...

One in three 16 to 25-year-olds may need mental health support in the next year A survey found 64% of young adults reported experiences of mental health problems.

2/ 🧍 Around one in three young adults in Britain expects to need mental health support in the coming year, according to polling commissioned from YouGov by the @uclgrandchallenges.bsky.social of Mental Health & Wellbeing.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Doctors trial £100 blood test that could transform how NHS detects Alzheimer’s More than 1,000 patients to take part in trial to see if the approach leads to faster and more reliable diagnoses

1/ 🩸 A major @uclqsion.bsky.social-led clinical trial, aiming to transform the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s through a simple blood test, is now welcoming its first participants who will be recruited via memory clinics across the UK. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

🧠 🧵 Our September news roundup is here!
It's been a month of incredible scientific breakthroughs at the Faculty of Brain Sciences.
Let's check out some of the stories making headlines around the world.👇 👇 👇

World Alzheimer's Month This World Alzheimer's Month and Day (21 September), explore the incredible dementia research going on at UCL, and learn how our neuroscience experts are working to improve lives globally

Today is the last day of #WorldAlzheimersMonth. Read our research stories and find out how UCL is committed to dementia prevention, care & cure.

🔗 Find out more: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
#UCLDementia

AI-enabled eye tests to spot dementia or heart disease A UCL scientist is leading a new project using artificial intelligence (AI) to transform routine eye checks into tools for detecting early signs of conditions such as heart disease and dementia.

👁️ Professor Pearse Keane (@ucleye.bsky.social) to lead new project using AI to transform routine eye checks into tools for detecting early signs of conditions such as heart disease and dementia.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...

Applications are now open for the SWC Systems Neuroscience PhD Programme.

Join us in London!

🧠 World-class neuroscience training
💰 Fully-funded 4-year programme
🖥️ Close links to @gatsbyucl.bsky.social

Apply by 3 Nov: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/content/...

Researchers must work collaboratively with the communities they aim to involve in their studies – starting from shaping the research question, continuing through to the study’s design and implementation, and ensuring meaningful follow-up once the research concludes. This kind of partnership fosters trust, enhances the relevance of the research to those communities, and ultimately leads to greater engagement and participation.

How can we address the underrepresentation of minoritised ethnic groups in dementia research?
We spoke to Dr Natalie Marchant (@uclpsychiatry.bsky.social) about making research practices and recruitment more inclusive.
www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
#UCLDementia
@grandchallenges

Inequalities in Focus: UCL Grand Challenges launches podcast mini-series on Inclusive & Just Futures As part of our Disruptive Voices series, this mini-series invites you to engage in thought-provoking conversations with UCL researchers and interdisciplinary experts who are tackling some of society’s...

🎙️ New Podcast Mini-Series: Inequalities in Focus
As part of our Disruptive Voices series, this mini-series invites you to engage in thought-provoking conversations with UCL researchers & interdisciplinary experts who are tackling some of society’s most pressing inequalities.
🎧👇https://bit.ly/42x2Rqv

Huntington's disease breakthrough 'amazing' but with 'caveats' The new treatment is a type of gene therapy given during 12 to 18 hours of delicate brain surgery.

Former Academy SUSTAIN participant Dr Lauren Byrne, a Principal Research Fellow @uclbrainscience.bsky.social, speaks candidly about this week's Huntington's disease treatment breakthrough, given her close family experience of the disease.

Read more 👇
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Brain Stories - Episode 21: Professor Adrian Isaacs on Frontotemporal Dementia Selina and Caswell chat with Professor Adrian Isaacs from the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL to talk Frontotemporal Dementia — from how fruit flies are helping, to the role of DNA repeat expans

🎧 @selinawray.bsky.social & @caswell.bsky.social are back with a new Brain Stories episode; this time with Prof @adrianisaacs.bsky.social from @ukdri.ac.uk.
They dive into Frontotemporal Dementia & the surprising role fruit flies play in research.
Listen: soundcloud.com/uclsound/bra...
#UCLDementia