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On Saturday 9 March, together with local branches of the Stroke Association as well as local charities and care providers, the Translational Neuropsychology Group hosted a packed audience of members of the public eager to learn more about stroke and acquired brain injury (ABI) research and care.

Visitors had the opportunity to learn about the wide variety of research that goes on at the University of Oxford looking at the psychological and behavioural impact of stroke and ABI and quiz researchers on their area of study. As well as looking at the techniques employed when studying survivors and patients in order to to further our understanding of the brain and cognition, visitors also learned, and had some hands-on experience of the innovative techniques being developed in the department that exploit the brain’s learning abilities to support rehabilitation after a stroke or ABI.

A highlight of the day was a stirring talk from Richard Raynor, a 38 year-old stroke survivor living with aphasia, who gave a captivating talk detailing his stroke experiences, from the immediate moments after his stroke, his care journey to how he has become an invaluable contributor to research in the Translational Neuropsychology group.

Group Lead Nele Demeyere thoughts on the day’s success: “Stroke is something that will feature in nearly everybody’s life at some point, whether it is themselves, relatives or friends”.

“By having days like these, we can share with the wider public the extensive research going on in Oxford that is not only looking at how stroke impact our brain and behaviour, but how we can build on our research to understand trajectories and develop interventions aimed at supporting recovery and rehabilitation. It was also fantastic to see so many stroke survivors turn up and make new connections with researchers and with each other.”

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