• Question: Have you ever looked into the science of mental health?

    Asked by to Amy, Anita, Daryl, Nimesh, Sandra on 20 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Anita Thomas

      Anita Thomas answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Dear catsparkes,

      I have, but in just a corner of it. There is a relationship between surgery for heart disease (like CABG (cabbage) – also known as vein grafting) and form of accelerated loss of mental function immediately after the operation. Sometimes the function comes back (usually about 6 months), but sometimes it doesn’t. We’re looking into whether the surgery and associated treatments affect kidney function and thus brain health during the operation. But it’s very early days yet.

      Cheers,
      Anita.

    • Photo: Nimesh Mistry

      Nimesh Mistry answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Yes, but there’s two reasons why scientists like me are finding it hard to treat mental health-related diseases at the moment.

      Firstly, there is so much we don’t know about the Brain and how diseases of the Brain such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease. But there is more information being discovered all the time and other scientist are working on using existing information to treat those diseases.

      Secondly, it’s really hard to get a drug to enter the Brain compared to other parts of the body because it has an extra protective wall for drugs to get through.

    • Photo: Amy Monaghan

      Amy Monaghan answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Hey Catsparkes

      I became a scientist because my little brother has autism. He was diagnosed when I was seven, and since then I have spent as much time as I can learning about it and keeping up with science about the syndrome. A lot of my lecturers at Edinburgh were also experts in mental health such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, so I learnt a lot then. I also studied a course called “Brain and Behaviour” in my second year.

      I think mental health is a very important area to explore and would definitely like to research it more myself in the future.

      Amy

    • Photo: Daryl Jones

      Daryl Jones answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      Hi cat

      yes- i work with the brain every day! mental heath overlaps with my studies. I have worked on depression, ADHD, etc! It’s fun!! I really enjoy working with the brain, it’s so fascinating. I think of the brain as a big planet- so many different places on the brain, it’s so complex!!

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