Dr Chris Henstridge

Dr. Chris Henstridge’s research focuses on the brain changes that occur in health and disease. Chris is particularly interested in the small connection points between brain cells, called synapses. In diseases such as MND, synapses are one of the earliest structures to break down and when this happens the brain can no longer function properly. In MND this leads to many problems such as loss of muscle control, but also can cause some people to experience changes in behaviour and thinking skills. By understanding where and why these synapses are lost, we hope to develop new strategies to treat MND.

Chris studied pharmacology at the University of Glasgow, before doing his PhD in neuropharmacology at the University of Dundee. He then spent 4yrs in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, studying changes in synapses in models of autism before joining the University of Edinburgh in 2014 to study synapse changes in Alzheimer’s disease and MND. In 2019, Chris moved back to the University of Dundee to establish his own research group, to continue his work on synapse changes in MND.