A History of Neuroscience at Newcastle: 1974-present
1974-1976
Professor Henryk Wisniewski (1931-1999) becomes director of the MRC Demyelinating Diseases Unit (pictured centre with members of the unit). Wisniewski developed his work on neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer’s disease, and also introduced work on the role of aluminium in the aetiology of the disease. Work of the Unit clearly pointed out that demyelinating antibodies are key players in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating lesions.
1976-1978
A series of landmark papers in which Elaine Perry, Robert Perry, Tomlinson and Blessed establish the cholinergic hypothesis of dementia. They show that the brain's ability to produce acetylcholine is severely reduced in Alzheimer patients and that there is a robust relationship between impaired cognitive deficit in Alzheimer’s disease, plaque formation and cortical cholinergic deficit.
1977
Professor Donald Eccleston appointed as Chair of Psychiatry and was head of department until retiring in 1995. He established the Regional Affective Disorders Unit, the longest standing in-patient unit for the treatment of depression in the UK. Eccleston also established the Psychiatry Research Unit, based at 1-4 Claremont Terrace (pictured), which conducted research on pharmacological treatment of affective disorders including therapeutic trials and animal studies.
1978
Professor Simon Miller is appointed as Chair of Anatomy in the Medical School (1978-1989). He initiates work on motor function linked to the clinical work in neurology, especially work on the human corticospinal tract, and makes a series of academic appointments with research interests in motor function and neural development. The distinguished neurophysiologist Professor Ben Burns FRS (1915-2001, pictured) joined the department in 1980 and continued his work on learning and synaptic plasticity.
1978-1984
Development of psychiatry department with the appointments of Andrew Fairbairn (Consultant and Clinical Lecturer 1978-2009); Professor Ian McKeith (appointed 1983; Chair of Old Age Psychiatry in 1994-present), and Professor Nicol Ferrier (appointed 1984; Chair of Psychiatry 1990-present).
1979
Fawcett and Ian Schofield (Neurophysiology Consultant 1979-present) first introduce evoked potential studies and single fibre EMG recording to clinical neurophysiology in Newcastle.
1979
Professor Jim Edwardson (appointed 1979; Chair of Neuroendocrinology 1982-present) appointed director of the MRC Unit at Newcastle General Hospital. The unit was successively the MRC Neuroendocrinology Unit (1979-89), the MRC Neurochemical Pathology Unit (1989-2000), and then incorporated into the MRC Centre Development for Clinical Brain Ageing (2000-2006). Edwardson conducted research on the role of metal ions in brain pathologies, neurochemical changes in age-related disorders and depression, and peptides as neuromodulators. Edwardson was founding Director (1994-2006) of the Institute of Ageing and Health which has become a world-leading centre for research in age-related disorders.
1979
Robert McBurney appointed to Department of Physiology (Lecturer 1979-1989) and undertakes research on role of ion conductances in excitability and neurosecretion.
1980s
Neurology research moves to more molecular mechanisms of disease. Professor Douglass Turnbull (appointed as clinical lecturer 1983; Chair of Neurology 1990-present) develops a programme of research into the genetics of mitochondrial disease.
1981
Kolvin publishes in his influential book, Help Starts Here. The Maladjusted Child in the Ordinary School. This reports the first controlled trial of psychological treatment of children in schools, and proved that treatment was effective in ameliorating emotional and behavioural difficulties.
1981
Tomlinson and colleagues publish two influential papers showing that as well as cholinergic deficit the transmitter noradrenaline is also deficient in the brains of Alzheimer patients.
1984
New Medical School opened under the guidance of Walton.
1986
A paper in The Lancet reports the measurement of aluminosilicates associated with senile plaques in brains of Alzheimer dementia patients and in pre-senile aged individuals.
1987
Professor A. David Mendelow (appointed 1987; Chair of Neurosurgery 1992-present) joins Robin Sengupta (consultant neurosurgeon 1978-2002) to develop research and multicentre trials of surgical interventions for subarachnoid haemorrhage. Sengupta’s book Subarachnoid Haemorrhage (1986) with Victor McAllister reflects a personal experience of operating on nearly 2000 patients with cerebral aneurysms. After retirement, he established a charitable neurosurgical unit in Calcutta supported by the department in Newcastle.
1989
Formation of the School of Neurosciences (later to become the School of Neurology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry) to bring together basic and clinical neuroscientists from anatomy, neurology, psychiatry and the Muscular Dystrophy Research Laboratories.
1990
Research in Newcastle indicated that dementia with Lewy Body, previously considered to be rare and unimportant, was contributing to a significant proportion of late-life dementia pathology.
1990s
Professor Pam Shaw (Wellcome Senior Research Fellow 1991; Professor of Neurological Medicine 1997-2000) publishes a series of studies on the molecular basis of motor neurone disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, particularly the role of calcium regulatory proteins and mitochondrial function in the vulnerability to neuronal death.
1993
The Academic Department of Psychiatry moves to the newly constructed Leazes Wing of the Royal Victoria Infirmary with an acute in-patient unit and specialist affective disorders and eating disorders units.
1994
Professor Malcolm Young is appointed to the Chair of Psychology (1994-2002; later Pro-Vice Chancellor 2002-2009). Associated academic appointments in psychology form the basis of a major research group studying comparative aspects of vision and neural networks. In 2003 Young’s work on analysis of complex networks leads to the spin out company, e-Therapeutics, which seeks pharmacological targets for neurological and other diseases.
1994
The Institute for Health of the Elderly (later renamed the Institute for Ageing and Health) is created under the Directorship of Edwardson in order to develop the long standing research on ageing brain and neurodegenerative diseases and other disorders of later life.
1995
The first International Workshop of the Consortium on Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is held in Newcastle. The consensus guidelines for the clinical and pathologic diagnosis of DLB published in Neurology the following year becomes a highly cited paper.
1999
Ferrier and Professor Jan Scott show that neuropsychological impairments that occur in bipolar disorder persist even when well. This is followed a series of studies conducted with Professor Allan Young (Senior Lecturer and Chair of General Psychiatry 1994-2005) showing the role of adrenal hormones underlying these impairments and the therapeutic value of glucocorticoid antagonists.
2000
Professor Douglas Turkington (Honorary Clinical Lecturer 1991; Honorary Chair of Psychosocial Psychiatry 2006-present) and colleagues report the outcome of cognitive behavioural interventions for treatment of psychoses. This has become the most widely used cognitive intervention for schizophrenia.
2000
Report in The Lancet of the first multicentre, placebo-controlled trial of the cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine for the treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies, led by members of the MRC/University Centre Development in Clinical Brain Ageing in collaboration with Novartis.
2000
Malcolm Young leads a successful bid for funding from the Joint Infrastructure Fund to enable construction of the Henry Wellcome Building for Neuroecology (opened 2002, pictured) to house facilities for magnetic resonance imaging of brain activity, behavioural studies, psychophysics, and electrophysiology. Associated academic appointments increases research in basic neuroscience. From 2008 the building also accommodates the main administration for the Institute of Neuroscience.
2004
Creation of the Institute of Neuroscience under the direction of Professor Colin Ingram (Chair of Psychobiology) and Professor Anya Hurlbert (Chair of Visual Neuroscience). This is followed by a period of major expansion with academic appointments extending expertise in visual, auditory and motor neuroscience, research in neural networks, and areas of clinical neuroscience. In 2007 staff from the School of Neurology Neurobiology and Psychiatry and the Division of Psychology came under the management of the Institute creating one of the largest neuroscience groups in the UK.
2006
Research published in Nature Genetics describes the changes to mitochondrial DNA in the substantia nigra of aged and Parkinson’s disease patients, suggesting DNA deletions may be important in neuronal loss.
2006-2008
Major investment in neuroimaging capabilities, including the opening of the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre (2006, pictured) and introduction of small animal magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) capabilities for man and animals (2008).
2008
Opening of the Edwardson Building (pictured) to provide new accommodation for the brain tissue resource and research into age-related neurodegenerative disorders conducted by the Institute for Ageing and Health.
2010-2011
The Regional Neurosciences Centre moves to new facilities at the new reconstructed Royal Victoria Infirmary (pictured). This provides state of art facilities for neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroradiology adjacent to the Medical School.
Publication highlights since 2008 can be found on the Institute of Neuroscience web site (highlights). Research of current staff can be found on web site of the Institute of Neuroscience.
