The North of Scotland Parkinson’s Research Podcast Series

With the help of Drs Rachel Hardie and Gillian Lyon, we examine Research Ethics - the standard of conduct ensuring scientific integrity and study participants' safety. We'll find out about the process of getting approval for a research project and what patients and the public considering taking part in research should be looking out for before signing up.  

In this episode we cover everything from dancing the Cha-cha to virtual reality, as we hear the innovative lengths Dr Will Young and his team go to in their research into the psychology behind freezing of gait and their development of strategies to overcome it.  

Without the generosity of the many people who give their time towards participating in research there would be no progress in our quest to find new therapies and hopefully one day, a cure for Parkinson's. Amelia Hursey has worked in the public and charity sectors for 12 years specialising in Patient and Public Participation. Now Research Manager for Parkinson's Europe, we talk to her about the cha...

In this episode we are delighted to have the opportunity to discuss the latest thinking on Diet and Parkinson's with someone uniquely placed to do so from both a professional and a personal perspective.  Richelle Flanagan is not only a leading dietician in Ireland with nearly two decades of experience, but she also lives with Parkinson's Disease having been diagnosed seven years ago when she was e...

Dr Kathryn Bowles explains her fascinating research into a little known gene that is thought to help protect the brain. It is hoped that discovering how this process works will provide vital new knowledge as to why some people develop Parkinson’s and others don’t. Kat also talks Julie and Helga through the complex world of genetic research, how it has developed over recent years, and why it can ta...

In this special episode of the North of Scotland Parkinson’s Research Interest Group podcast series to mark International Women’s Day 2024, we are delighted to have with us Richelle Flanagan from Ireland.  Since attending the World Parkinson’s Congress in 2019 following her own diagnosis of Young Onset disease seven years ago, she has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of women with Parkinson’...

Sleep issues are one of the most widely reported non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's  In this episode Dr David Breen explains the mechanism of sleep, talks us through some of the theories surrounding sleep as a possible predictor of disease or indicator of prognosis, and the challenges & of researching the science behind it.

As a member of the Parkinson's Disease guideline committee of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Clare Johnson explains the vast number of ways Occupational Therapists help patients and their families cope with the everyday motor and non-motor challenges of living with Parkinsons. We hear about the benefits of multi-disciplinary clinics and why standard measurement scales can f...

Speech and language issues can affect many people with Parkinson's at any stage of the disease. In this episode Dr Anja Lowit, Professor of Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Strathclyde talks Julie Jones and Helga Macfarlane through the various interventions that can help, the challenges of carrying out and analysing research into speech and language and how technology is developing...

Based in the Centre for Regenerative Medicine in the University of Edinburgh, Professor Kunath is Chair of Regenerative Neurobiology.  The focus of his laboratory addresses two key areas: (i) understanding how the protein, alpha-synuclein, causes degeneration of neurons in Parkinson’s, and (ii) producing a cell-based therapy for Parkinson’s Disease. The North of Scotland Parkinsons research intere...

Ed Newman is a Consultant Neurologist based at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He has a specialist interest in movement disorders and Parkinson’s Disease. He is part of the National Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) service in Scotland and runs a Parkinson’s Disease telemedicine service to the Western Isles. He is also interested in medical education and runs the clinic...

Professor David Dexter, Parkinson’s UK’s Director of Research shares his optimism over current trials that are nearing completion. He explains the charity’s research strategy, the roles and importance of volunteers, and the challenges the disease presents researchers in their quest to find new treatments and a cure.  

We are delighted to have Alan Main on this month’s NoSPRIG podcast, who hails from Aberdeen, but whose 30-year career working for multinational healthcare companies has taken him all round the world and to the very top of the pharma industry. His career has focused mainly on consumer healthcare and medical technology, and he is a former Global President of Bayer Medical Care and Head of Consumer H...

Listen in to hear Helga Macfarlane chat to Jo Holland and Alison Williams, who  have been involved with the Parkinson’s Beats programme.  As Julie Jones explains, it is widely accepted that exercise is beneficial for people living with Parkinson’s, but finding a form of exercise that you enjoy and can do regularly can be challenging.  Parkinson’s Beats is a form of cardio drumming which has been a...

In this episode of the North of Scotland Parkinson’s Research Interest Group podcast, Julie joins Professor Gareth Jones who is epidemiologist based at the University of Aberdeen.  In this pod Julie and Gareth demystify key research terminology such as what is a randomised controlled study? Why sample size is important in research?  What is peer review?  What involved in the ethics process.  So, a...

Julie Jones meets James Jopling, Parkinsons UK’s Scotland Director. James joined the charity a year ago in the wake of the Covid pandemic and just as the cost of living crisis began to bite. In this episode he talks about the challenges facing the charity, the unique way Parkinson’s U.K. encourage public involvement in research and he takes a look forward to the future.   The North of Scotland Par...

Julie Jones is a Physiotherapist & Senior Lecturer at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. She is passionate about improving services for people with Parkinson's & the benefit of exercise. Helga Macfarlane was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2017 aged 52, and devotes much of her time to helping raise awareness of the disease and how it impacts the lives of people with PD. In this podcast Julie...

Consultant Neurologist Carl Counsell divides his time between clinical practice and research at Aberdeen University.  Dr Counsell leads the University’s Chronic Disease Research group, which aims to improve health through the clinical research of chronic diseases and health care, supporting evidenced based practice and policy.  In this podcast Carl shares his thoughts on what the future research p...

Welcome to the NoSPRIG podcasts! The aim of our podcast series is to focus on Parkinson’s research from a Scottish perspective and highlight some of the work being done here to find out more about the mechanisms of this complex disease and ways of making life better for those living with it.   We hope you enjoy listening. Please keep checking back for new episodes! The North of Scotland Parkinsons...