Global health and wellbeing

Research that gives new meaning to life

Life is for living. That should be an option for all, no matter what adversity they have had to overcome. Thanks to donations from alumni and friends of the University, critical research is underway to look at traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and how they are diagnosed and treated, to ensure that individuals have the opportunity to get back to fitness, to work and live meaningful lives. The support has part-funded a PhD which is investigating how individuals who have suffered a TBI can be rehabilitated quickly and effectively. Delivered in partnership with the Royal Defence Medical Services, the work will form part of a mini-Centre for Doctoral Training in Defence Medicine, which is being led by Professor Mark Lewis of the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.

So, why military personnel specifically? Members of the Armed Forces can pay a high price for serving their nation, and unfortunately TBI is the ‘signature injury of modern war’. This research will look at the understanding behind diagnosing and treating TBIs, focusing on early biomarkers, how nutrition can support recovery, rehabilitation methods and technology. The research will be carried out at DMRC (Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre) Stanford Hall, which sits on the outskirts of Loughborough and offers the perfect environment for developing the knowledge that is needed.

DMRC Stanford Hall gives Loughborough academics and researchers the unique opportunity to work directly with patients affected by TBIs. The facility also provides a further opportunity for this work to benefit the wider general public, as the National Rehabilitation Centre, a new clinical rehabilitation centre for NHS patients, is being built on the same site. Patients in both centres will benefit from shared expertise, knowledge and facilities in what will be known as the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC).

In the UK, only 35% of civilians return to work after suffering a major trauma, compared to 85% of the military.

In the UK, only 35% of civilians return to work after suffering a major trauma, compared to 85% of the military. This number is also significantly lower than other countries. Working with the DNRC, the University hopes to help close this gap.

This work is part of an ongoing partnership between the University and the Ministry of Defence, which is delivering projects that will advance our understanding of chronic health issues, especially musculoskeletal injury and lifestyle-associated disease. The research, which is being delivered through both the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, has the potential to deliver huge benefits to the nation’s health.

For further information visit www.thednrc.org.uk

Eye-tracking tests may be key to predicting who will develop Alzheimer’s disease

Thank you to all donors who have continued to support Loughborough’s dementia research, following our first ever dementia research appeal, launched in 2017.

With support from your donations, three talented early-career researchers have had the opportunity to undertake PhD Fellowships with the aim of improving the lives of those with dementia. Their research explores various aspects of life with dementia, ranging from improving the design of the home, to creating tools to train carers, to decisions around end of life care and attitudes to assisted dying. Donations have also covered the cost of travel for volunteers – those with dementia and their immediate carers/families – taking part in Loughborough research projects.

The team at Loughborough has also been able to make exciting breakthroughs in diagnosing dementia.

The study has found that eye-tracking technology can identify patients considered to be at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, offering a potential pathway to earlier diagnosis of the disease. Eye-tracking tests can be used to identify people with mild memory and thinking impairment, also called mild cognitive impairment or ‘MCI’. People with MCI have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, with the highest risk group being those with amnesic MCI (‘aMCI’, or memory loss predominant MCI).

The research team worked to develop eye tracking tests that could distinguish between groups of patients with different types of MCI. They discovered they were able to accurately distinguish between the groups using the tracking technologies.

Researcher Dr Thom Wilcockson explains, “These results indicate that it is possible to predict which MCI patients are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

“This would help with monitoring disease progression and may ultimately help identify whether treatments would be effective.”

Thank you for contributing to this potentially life-saving research through your donations.