This two-day workshop held in September 2021 provided theoretical learning and practical training for over 120 early career researchers on machine learning approaches to combine datasets (Day 1) and modalities (Day 2) in the context of dementia research. The main goal was to inform early career researchers with experience or interest in using imaging data about innovative machine learning approaches and algorithms that may be used to characterise the structure and function of the nervous system, identify meaningful patterns and support clinical decisions in dementia. Missed the event? Find ..read more

NEUROHACK, a competitive international hackathon, took place on the 11th-14th January 2022. The 4-day event brought together 110 skilled participants from 27 countries across six continents. Competitively selected participants attended virtual hubs in London and L.A to tackle key brain health challenges using data science and machine learning. Participants worked in 16 international multidisciplinary teams to produce innovative solutions, along with a chance to have fun and win prizes.  Engagement was truly diverse. Participants represented 27 countries across six continents, with 41% of ..read more

Artificial intelligence can predict which people who attend memory clinics will develop dementia within two years with 92 percent accuracy, a largescale new study has concluded. Using data from more than 15,300 patients in the US, research from the University of Exeter found that a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning can accurately tell who will go on to develop dementia. The technique works by spotting hidden patterns in the data and learning who is most at risk.  The study, published in JAMA Network Open and funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, also suggested ..read more

A competitive hackathon to promote brain health The DEMON Network is launching NEUROHACK, a 4-day competitive international hackathon on the 11th-14th January 2022. Selected participants will attend in-person at hubs in London and Los Angeles. A limited number of places for virtual attendance will also be made available. A variety of exciting challenges will be on offer, using data science and machine learning to promote brain health and combat neurodegeneration.  Apply to join NEUROHACK now! Prizes will be awarded for the most innovative solutions, and three pilot grants of £10,000 will ..read more

Does it matter where you publish your work? The value of our publications is often evaluated differently depending upon where it is published. If you’re applying for promotion, you’re competing for funding, or you’re trying to secure tenure then it’s likely that the journals that you’ve published in will influence your chances of success. It’s also possible that where you publish your work will influence how much attention it gets from the wider scientific or clinical community and how many times it’s cited by others. Many of us target the ‘top’ journals for these reasons. Set against this is ..read more

Our educational workshop ‘Reproducible Reporting Using Markdown’ was held in July 2021. Providing training for over 80 researchers, this half-day event comprised of a series of short talks, followed by a practical workshop with skilled facilitators on hand.  The feedback from our post-event survey was very positive. The talks which introduced reproducibility, the UK Reproducibility Network, and Markdown were well received, with 93% rating them as good, very good or excellent. Similarly, 93% said that the event helped to improve their understanding of reproducibility and open science, and ..read more

Written by Dr Sarah Marzi, Experimental Models working group lead My route to my current position as group leader in neuroepigenomics at the Imperial UK DRI was rather unusual. I started out studying mathematics at the University of Freiburg. This was the time before Germany introduced Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. There was only the ‘Diplom’ and you were in it for the long run (typically 5-6 years). At the same time, I had always been fascinated by the human brain, so halfway through the maths degree, and after an exciting year as exchange student in Rome, I additionally started an unde ..read more

Are you an early career researcher with an interest in dementia? Would you like the chance to collaborate, innovate and compete? We have partnered with Race Against Dementia to hold an Innovation Accelerator. This unique event will bring together teams of early career dementia researchers and motorsports experts, create diversity of thinking and break down ‘silos’ that currently exist between institutions and disciplines. Participants will have the opportunity to think big and outside the box, develop ambitious ideas and learn from industries and commercial enterprises with track records of ra ..read more

Welcome to all of our new members. Since launching the DEMON Network in November 2019 we have quickly grown to be a large global initiative spanning six continents. In July 2020 we had 500 members, and we could only speculate at that point whether the interest in the Network would be maintained, so I’m delighted that we’ve reached 1,000 members already. See our updated About Us page for more information about our talented team who have made this happen. This includes our international Steering Committee, Theme Leads, Working Group Leads, and Regional Leads who have all played key roles in deve ..read more

UK Biobank has been identified as a key Network resource, and many of our members have experience in using this data for dementia-related analyses. To help develop resources and facilitate further collaborative analyses, papers and grants we’ve formed a dedicated Special Interest Group (SIG) with it’s own Slack channel. All members of the DEMON Network are invited to join the UK Biobank SIG if they’re interested in this study, and prior experience is not needed to join. The SIG is led by Prof David Llewellyn (DEMON Network Director) and Dr Janice Ranson (DEMON Network Deputy Director) who are ..read more