August 29, 2013, by Zoë Goodwin

News from the week in brief

Very brief

This week The University of Nottingham has welcomed the new Governor of the Bank of England on to campus. Scientists have shown that psychotic symptoms experienced by people with schizophrenia could be caused by a faulty ‘switch’ within the brain. Researchers have also found that three-year-olds who display hyperactivity, inattention or conduct problems are at risk of worse academic outcomes when GCSEs come round. And the Faculty of Engineering has invested in a new hydrogen van to remain environmentally sustainable.

To read further into these stories, see below. And if you want to know more, click on the links for the full stories.

Brief

Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England has attended a sold-out lunch at the East Midlands Conference Centre on University Park. During the event he delivered his maiden public speech as Governor. He spoke about the Bank of England’s forward guidance policy and its implications for both businesses and householders. His new forward guidance strategy for monetary policy pledges to keep interest rates low to stimulate the jobs market.

To find out more about the Governor, click here.

A research team led by Professor Peter Liddle and Dr Lena Palaniyappan in the University’s Division of Psychiatry have demonstrated that the severity of symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations which are typical in patients with the psychiatric disorder is caused by a disconnection between two important regions in the brain – the insula and the lateral frontal cortex. This breakthrough could form the basis for better, more targeted treatments for schizophrenia with fewer side effects.

To learn more about this ‘switch’, the disorder itself and its treatments, click here.

Researchers at the Universities of Nottingham and Bristol have sampled over 11,000 children as part of a study which has found that three-year-olds who display hyperactivity, inattention or conduct problems are at risk of worse academic outcomes when GCSEs came around. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire when their child was 47 months old (just before they turned four) to assess whether their child showed signs of hyperactivity/inattention or conduct problems. The children’s academic achievements were then assessed at 16 by looking at their GCSE results.

To read about their specific findings and how boys and girls compared, click here.

The University prides itself on choosing environmentally sustainable options wherever possible which is why its Faculty of Engineering has invested in a new hydrogen van. These are more environmentally-friendly than vehicles which run on fossil fuels like petrol and diesel because there are no carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to being greener, the van will be used as part of a study into the true cost of hydrogen fuel. Professor Gavin Walker, Professor of Sustainable Energy said: “The hydrogen van helps us investigate optimisation of hydrogen refuelling technologies and undertake studies into the cost of hydrogen.”

To find out about more of the benefits of using hydrogen, click here.

 

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