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Dr. Aileen Lynch

Assistant Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
Assistant Professor (Trinity Inst. of Neurosciences (TCIN))
DOLIER STREET - SCHOOL OF NURSING
      
Profile Photo

Dr. Aileen Lynch

Assistant Professor (School of Nursing & Midwifery)
DOLIER STREET - SCHOOL OF NURSING

 amlynch@tcd.ie

 3531896 8571

Assistant Professor (Trinity Inst. of Neurosciences (TCIN))


Dr. Aileen Lynch graduated with a BSc in Biochemistry (1995) from NUI, Cork. She then pursued a postgraduate degree in Neuroscience and graduated with an MSc in Neuroscience (1996) from King's College, London. She carried out a project which investigated the effect of excitatory amino acids on the phosphorylation state of the microtubule-associated protein tau as part of the MSc course. In 2000, Dr. Lynch graduated with a PhD in Neuroanatomy from Imperial College, London. Her PhD involved the study of dendritic spines and glutamatergic cells in schizophrenic post-mortem tissue. Dr. Lynch began her postdoctoral research in the Department of Physiology and the Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College in 2000 where she investigated the signalling mechanisms which induce cellular damage in the aged brain. In 2002 she was awarded a HRB Postdoctoral Research Fellowship which investigated the age-related deterioration in synaptic function in rat hippocampus. Continuing with the theme of neuroinflammation, in 2005 Dr. Lynch began a SFI Postdoctoral Research Fellowship which investigated if the aged brain is more vulnerable to additional inflammatory insult. In 2007, Dr. Lynch was appointed a lectureship in the School of Nursing and Midwifery and is continuing to research strategies that modulate the inflammatory processes that occur during the ageing process.
  Ageing, memory and other cognitive processes   Alzheimer's disease   Astrocyte   Autoimmunity   BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER   Cell and tissue maintenance, repair and ageing   Chronic inflamation   Consequences of ischemia or hypoxia, convulsive disorders   Cytokine   ENDOTHELIAL CELLS   Immune system   Microglia   Multiple Sclerosis   Nervous system, development, plasticiy and ageing   Neurochemistry and neuropharmacology   Neurodegeneration   Neuroendocrine Immunology   Neuropharmacology   Neurophysiology   Schizophrenia   Stress   TIGHT JUNCTION PERMEABILITY   Tight junction proteins
Project Title
 The impact of age and neuroinflammation on the blood-brain barrier and neurovascular unit
From
October 2009
To
September 2012
Summary
Our findings provide evidence of a structurally and functionally disrupted blood-brain barrier (BBB) with age. IL-1beta signalling mediates the tight junction protein disruption, as evidenced by the increased tight junction expression in aged IL-1R1-/- mice. This may be partially facilitated by its action on matrix metalloproteinases and via signalling through the ERK-MAPK pathway. Such age-related BBB disruption may facilitate the entry of potential neurotoxins into the brain, probably exacerbating neuronal damage with increasing age.
Funding Agency
Trinity College Dublin 1292 stipend award
Project Type
PhD
Person Months
36
Project Title
 RD-WIFI Infomation needs for families of children with rare diseases
From
01/03/2014
To
30/09/14
Summary
Funding Agency
The Saoirse foundation
Project Type
Research
Person Months
6
Project Title
 Rare Diseases Web-Information For Families in Ireland (RD-WIFI)
From
March 2014
To
September 2014
Summary
Funding Agency
Saoirse Foundation
Person Months
7
Project Title
 Liam's Lodge: A National Children's Care Centre for Children with Rare, Genetic and Life Limiting Conditions and A Children's Palliative Care Respite Service for Munster and the Mid-West.
From
Dec 2014
To
April 2015
Summary
Funding Agency
Saoirse Foundation
Project Title
 Exploring the challenges experienced by people with muscular dystrophy living independently.
From
April 2015
To
Dec 2015
Summary
Funding Agency
Irish Research Council
Programme
New Foundations
Person Months
9

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Details Date From Date To
Physiological Society (Affiliate Member)
American Society for Neuroscience
British Neuroscience Association
Neuroscience Ireland
Sheerin F, Lynch A . Kilroy S, Epstein M, Girault A, Gillois P, Rolland C, Harkin M, McKinney C., A qualitative analysis of the reasons why older adults engaged in a physical activity app, Trinity Health and Education International Conference 2021 , Dublin, 10-11th March 2021, 2021, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED
McKee G, Lynch A, Sheerin F, McKinney C, Harkin M, Kilroy S, The effectiveness of a brief intervention in improving physical activity in older adults, Trinity Health and Education International Conference, Dublin, 10-11th March 2021, 2021, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED
Gabrielle McKee, Fintan Sheerin, Aileen Lynch, Sean Kilroy, Why older adults engage in a physical activity app: A qualitative analysis, European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, Active aging - new challenges and new opportunities [EGREPA ( The European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity) 2021 , Virtual, 19-21 May2021 , 2021, Poster, PRESENTED
Aileen Lynch, Gabrielle McKee, Sean Kilroy,, Fintan Sheerin, Gabrielle McKee, , A pilot study to assess the effectiveness of a brief intervention on communitydwelling older adults' physical activity, Active aging - new challenges and new opportunities [EGREPA ( The European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity) 2021 , Virtual, 19-21 May2021 , 2021, Poster, PRESENTED
Byrne, G. Murphy, F. Eustace -Cook,J. Mooney,M. O'Brien,F. O'Donnell, S. Corry, M. Lynch, A.M., Neenan,K. & McKee. G. , The prevalence of tobacco smoking among European migrants residing in EU 15 countries: a quantitative systematic review protocol, JBI Evidence Synthesis, 18, (12), 2020, p2647 - 2657, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Fintan Sheerin, Aileen Lynch, Ariane Girault, Carole Rolland, Pierre Gillois, Monique Epstein, Gabrielle McKee, Perspectives on the facilitators, barriers and motivators to physical activity among older adults in Ireland and France: focus group findings from the MOVEAGE-ACT Project, 2nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE GERMAN SOCIETY OF NURSING SCIENCE , Berlin, MAY 8TH - 9TH, 2020 , 2020, Oral Presentation, ACCEPTED
Gabrielle McKee, Fintan Sheerin, Aileen Lynch, Sean Kilroy, Monique Epstein, Ariane Girault, Pierre Gillois, Carole Rolland, Ciaran McKinney, Mary Harkin , Facilitators and barriers to physical activity maintenance among older adults in Ireland and France: focus group findings from the MOVEAGE-ACT Project, Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2020, Dublin, 4th-5th March 2020, 2020, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED
Sean Kilroy, Aileen Lynch, Gabrielle Mckee, The factors associated with physical activity change in community dwelling older adults: results from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA, Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference 2019, Dublin, Ireland, Mar 6-7 2019, 2019, Meeting Abstract, PRESENTED
Sheerin, Fintan Lynch, Aileen Kilroy, Sean Epstein, Monique Girault, Ariane Larose, Inès Gillois, Pierre Rolland, Carole McKinney, Ciarán Harkin, Mary McKee, Gabrielle, A Qualitative Study Exploring Facilitators and Barriers to Engagement in Physical Activity Among Older Irish and French Adults, Age and Ageing , Irish Gerontological Society 67th Annual and Scientific meeting , Clayton Hotel Silver Springs, Cork, 26-28 September 2019, 48, (Supplement 3), Oxford Academic, 2019, ppiii17 - -iii6, Notes: [https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/48/Supplement_3/iii17/5570485], Poster, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
S Kilroy, G McKee, A Lynch , The impact of physical activity on cardiovascular disease and cardio-metabolic risk factors in community dwelling older adults: results from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, Europrevent 2018, Ljubljana , 19th - 21st April, 25, (Supp 1), 2018, pp6 (23) , Meeting Abstract, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
  

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Jessica Eustace-Cook & Dr. Aileen Lynch, Connections: the key to lasting collaboration, CONUL Teaching & Learning Seminar, Long Room Hub, 21 March 2025, 2025, Poster, PRESENTED

  


Dr. Lynch's postdoctoral research focused on age-related vascular changes in the brain (blood-brain barrier) which makes the brain more vulnerable to further insult e.g. head injury, neurodegenerative diseases. More recently her interests have been on strategies to optimise health into older age, such as engagement in physical activity using technology incorporating behavioural change principles, which has been shown to ameliorate cardio-metabolic factors known to increase the risk for chronic diseases.