Neuroscience
The WHO has predicted that the prevalence of neurological and psychiatric diseases will rise dramatically over the next thirty years, particularly in developing countries.
Neurosciences are therefore amongst the fastest developing areas of biomedical science. The neurosciences strategic research theme at Imperial College London aims to improve understanding and effective treatment of neurological and psychiatric diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerve and muscle.
The key sub-themes within neuroscience are:
- Dementia and cognition
- Molecular mechanisms of disease
- Movement and balance disorders
- Psychosis and personality disorders
- Visual sciences
See the links in the navigation tree on the left for more details of research groups working in each sub-theme.
Research achievements include the first demonstration that variant CJD is caused by the same prion strain as BSE and restoration of the dopamine system in Parkinson's disease with infusions of the nerve growth factor GDNF.
Strategic Theme Leader for Neuroscience: Professor Lefkos Middleton (l.middleton@imperial.ac.uk).
| 18F-dopa PET images showing the effect of glial neurotrophic factor (GDNF) infusion on dopamine storage capacity in the brain of a patient with Parkinson's disease. The image on the left was taken pre-op, the image on the right is of the same brain 24 months post-op. The white arrow indicates the position of the cannula site (Professor David Brooks). |
11C-PIB PET images showing amyloid deposition in a healthy brain (top) and the brain from a patient with Alzheimer's disease (bottom) (Professor David Brooks).
Regions of the brain showing significantly increased 18F-dopa uptake following 24 months of intra-putaminal delivery of GDNF in a patient with Parkinson's disease (Professor David Brooks).
