Speaker: Professor Nazanin Derakhshan

Director of the BRiC Centre (Building Resilience in Breast Cancer Centre

Breast Cancer is the biggest malignancy among women worldwide. In the UK every 10 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer with increasing rates among younger women. With medical advances a significant proportion of women continue to live longer lives but the traumatic cost of diagnosis and harsh treatments leaves women cognitively impaired and emotionally vulnerable for years.

There is an urgent need to improve the quality of life of such women. Neuroscience tells us that the brain is plastic. Neural connections can be formed to promote better cognitive efficiency and psychological flexibility. Changes brought about by neuroplasticity show promise to improve cognitive and emotional well-being.

In this talk, I will discuss how the targeting and exercising of key brain functions can lower anxiety and distress in women with breast cancer and help improve their cognitive functioning and quality of life. I will discuss the promise of new cost effective interventions that can help pave the way towards the practice of resilience. I will conclude with a working model of ‘cognitive resilience’ in promoting emotional well-being in breast cancer.

This talk is part of #BBKScienceWeek 2018 - see the full programme for other talks and how to book your place.

Please note this booking is through the third party service Eventbrite and by making this booking you are a customer of Eventbrite.

How can cognitive neuroscience build resilience in breast cancer patients?