There weren't many of us SPRINGlets but we had a presence at the 7th SPRING research conference on 18 May. The title was "Models in Parkinson's research - are we addressing the right questions?". I mused whether, had it had the more intriguing title "Worms, flies and zebrafish", the demand on places at 1 Wimpole Street would have increased exponentially. The great thing about these biennial conferences - where we lay folk are usually asked to be seen but not heard so that the researchers can use the time to discuss their research with others in the field - is that somehow, some of the stuff does actually rub off on you even if, like me, you don't have a scientific bone in your body. My view is that it's very important for us PwPs to make ourselves available to the research community if only to remind them that it's not just about worms and zebrafish but about people like us. Two of the researchers from Kings College Hospital confirmd this to me over a glass of wine after the end of the conference. I'm going to take up their invitation to visit their lab and have them explain their work to me.
Take a look: http://spring.parkinsons.org.uk/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/