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How much of our brain do we really need?
February 20th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Some time ago, I read a fascinating book called “The Brain” by David Eagleman. If there is one clear message from the book, it is that the brain exhibits remarkable plasticity. People talk of the brain as hard-wired, but it is the opposite of that. Eagleman describes some remarkable cases of people recovering from injury […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
How was your week? Did you have four scans, two samples, an ECG, a health questionnaire and a cognitive test all on the same day?
December 20th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
One day this week, I had no less than four scans. These were: Brain MRI scan. This provides information about the structure and function of the brain; for example which parts of the brain are important for carrying out certain tasks and how different parts of the brain are connected. Heart and body MRI scan. This provides […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
The vital role of UK Biobank
October 27th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
UK Biobank is a major national and international health resource, and a registered charity in its own right, with the aim of improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of serious and life-threatening illnesses – including cancer, heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, eye disorders, depression and forms of dementia. UK Biobank recruited 500,000 people aged […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
A review of the new film “The Leisure Seeker”
April 27th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
This is not typical Hollywood fare: a movie aimed squarely at the grey demographic and directed by an Italian. The title of this film refers to a 1978 Winnebago recreational vehicle owned by the elderly American couple John and Ella played by Donald Sutherland (now in his 80s) and Helen Mirren (mid 70s), two actors […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
A review of “The Brain” by David Eagleman
November 16th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Eagleman is an assistant professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. A wonderful presenter, he created and wrote the fascinating six-part television series “The Brain” which was first aired on PBS in the United States in 2015 and subsequently shown (and reshown) on BBC in Britain (which is how I saw it). […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
The Toxicity Charge (T-Charge) and improving air quality in London
October 23rd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Today Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, introduced the Toxicity Charge (or T-Charge) in central London to tackle emissions from the oldest polluting vehicles. Since I’ve lived in London for 46 years and visit central London several times a week, I welcome this policy. The T-Charge is part of a package of actions intended to […]
Posted in Environment | Comments (0)
Volunteering with Crisis at Christmas (5)
December 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Yesterday (Christmas Day) was the second of my three shifts as a volunteer with the charity for the homeless Crisis at Christmas. In London, there is no public transport on Christmas Day so, to reach my centre in the middle of town, I had to use my local cab company. This is staffed overwhelmingly by […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)
The importance of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest
June 7th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I like to attend short courses at further education colleagues in order to continue learning, keep the mind active, and postpone dementia. This weekend, I was at the City Lit college in London to do a one-day course entitled “Making Sense Of The Battle Of Hastings And Its Aftermath”. Our lecturer was the redoubtable Michael […]
Posted in History | Comments (4)
The Danish conquest of England in the 9th-11th centuries
November 16th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I have signed up for a number of short courses this autumn and next spring in an effort to keep my brain active and dementia at bay. I always learn new things and enjoy sharing some of my learnings on the web. So this weekend I was back at the City Lit in Central London […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)
My participation in a medical research project
May 17th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
In the Spring of last year, I took part in a 12-week medical trial of a new ‘polypill’ and wrote about the experience on this blog, the last entry being this one. This morning, my wife and I spent two and a quarter hours at an assessment centre in Hounslow in west London as participants […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (4)