MSc by Research in Neuroscience - Neurodegeneration

University of Leeds

This 12 month programme features no taught content, rather you will undertake a research project and write a thesis from your results. Similar to a PhD, you will have a supervisor who is based in your chosen field. MSc by Research will develop your academic and practical skills and is an excellent option should you wish to explore your area of interest further but feel that a PhD is not the right choice at this time. MSc by Research students often go on to PhD study or to work in industry.As we get older, our nervous system deteriorates causing reduction in our mental ability, making it harder to learn and remember, and changes our personality. In some individuals such changes are associated with a genetic cause and occur at an early age displaying profound differences in behaviour from the societal norm. Ongoing neurodegeneration leads to continuing decline in an individual’s mental and physical health. The resulting effects on such patients are huge, ultimately fatal and we currently have no cures or effective treatments for them. At Leeds we are working to understand some of molecular pathways involved in the disease progression and identify what the involvement of specific genes, and the genetic variation within them, is to the disease process. Our major goal is to determine how drugs that interfere with these pathways can protect the neurones from deteriorating and improve cognition within patients.