Brain and mind discovery research

Bringing together research activities that provide a deeper understanding of nervous system function and performance
Brain connectivity, binary, computing, virtual reality, digital. Getty images 1205196144.
In brain and mind discovery, more than 100 investigators from across the University work together, with expertise ranging across biomedical research, cognitive, social, and developmental psychology, neural sciences, visual psychophysics, social sciences, human factors, biology, rehabilitation sciences, robotics, music, literature, film, and computational neuroscience.

Biomedical research
The Derriford Research Facility , together with the biomedical laboratories in the John Bull Building, host a number of highly successful neuroscience discovery research groups with strong track record. The research teams are an interdisciplinary mix from the School of Medicine and the School of Biomedical Science. The Biomedical Research Group leads a strong neuroscience theme that encompasses a broad spectrum of neurology research. Much of their focus is disease-orientated (see 'Brain and mind translation'), and the understanding of pathological processes is supported by core investigation of fundamental mechanisms, such as cell death and regeneration.
Core topics include:
  • Neural stem cell (de)regulation and brain tumour initiation, through the Claudia Barros Lab ( Claudia Barros )
  • Damage repair and network formation in the Central Nervous System ( Torsten Bossing )
  • White matter connectivity ( Robert Fern )
  • The molecular basis of neuron-glia communication, helping us understand the molecular basis underlying brain disorders like Alexander disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s ( Konstantin Glebov )
  • Autophagy regulation and its role in Huntington’s and other neurogenerative diseases (