About this Event
We welcome you to attend Professor Nicola Ray’s Inaugural Lecture on Thursday 3rd December at Manchester Metropolitan University.
The in-person lecture will take place from 4.30pm to 7.00pm (room TBC). Refreshments will be available from 4.30pm, with the lecture starting at 5.00pm.
About the Lecture:
Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, yet many of its most disabling symptoms (cognitive changes, freezing, difficulty walking) respond poorly to the treatments we have. Why do some people benefit so much from Medic*tion or deep brain stimulation, while others don’t?
In this lecture, Professor Nicola Ray explores how the brain’s movement circuits change in Parkinson’s, and what that can tell us about who will respond to treatment. Combining advanced MRI with recordings taken directly from deep inside the brain, her research has focused on small, hard-to-see brain regions, and their role in driving symptoms and the abnormal activity behind them.
Drawing on 20 years of research and her journey from Oxford to Manchester Met, Nicola will show how bringing these approaches together could help identify new treatment targets and move us towards more personalised care for people living with Parkinson’s.
About Professor Nicola Ray:
Professor Nicola Ray is a Professor of Neuroscience at Manchester Metropolitan University whose research aims to improve treatment discovery and personalise care for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Her work combines brain imaging, brain activity recordings and clinical data to understand why people with Parkinson’s experience different symptoms, progression and responses to treatment. After pioneering research at the University of Oxford and the University of Toronto, Nicola established a programme at Manchester Met focused on predicting treatment outcomes and identifying those at risk of complications such as falls and cognitive decline.
Working closely with clinical partners in Manchester, Nicola’s team uses advanced MRI techniques and recordings from modern deep brain stimulation devices to develop more personalised approaches to Parkinson’s care. She is co-leading the development of a Parkinson’s “digital twin” with Nelson Trujillo-Barreto, creating personalised computational models to help clinicians select the right treatments, reduce trial-and-error in care, and accelerate the development of new therapies.
Drinks and refreshments will be available from 4.30pm.
We appreciate your attendance.
Health and Education RI Team
Event venue & nearby stays
Room TBC, Brooks Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
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