Clinical neuroscience

Clinical neuroscience research

Our clinical neuroscience research theme brings together laboratory scientists, clinicians and practitioners to link our biomedical research with clinical, health and social care, and public health applications.

Enabled by a strong collaborative, interdisciplinary approach this research focuses on answering complex questions and societal challenges in the areas of neurodegenerative disease, mental health and brain health, damage and disease.

This research aims to deliver impact and patient / public benefit through:

• Development of new therapies, interventions and technical innovations for dementia and other neurological disorders and;
  
• Influencing policy on prevention, care, treatment and support.

Clinical neuroscience research forms part of our Clinician led medical research and Public health research and features the University of Plymouth's internationally renowned Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence.

Clinical trials and complex studies in these areas are supported by our UKCRC registered Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU). Current studies within the clinical neuroscience theme include:

• PDSTAT – statin repurposing as a neuroprotective treatment for Parkinson’s disease – funded by Cure Parkinson’s Trust and JP Moulton Charitable Foundation – Dr Camille Carroll;
  
• SWIMS – patient-orientated longitudinal study on the impact of Multiple Sclerosis – funded by the MS Society – Professor Jeremy Hobart;
  
• Engager II – collaborative care intervention for offenders with common mental health problems – funded by NIHR – Professor Richard Byng;
  
• e-coachER – web-based coaching / exercise referral scheme for patients with chronic physical and mental health conditions – funded by NIHR – Professor Adrian Taylor
  

Delivery of our research and work with external partners is facilitated by our:

• Expertise in medical statistics and systems biology;
  
• Portfolio of unique cell / tissue model technologies;
  
• Close partnership with genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics researchers from our cross-cutting diagnostics research theme.

Our research

The clinical neuroscience theme encompasses:

• Brain tumours (Professor C. Oliver Hanemann) – Centre of Excellence for laboratory research and clinical studies into low grade brain tumours, development of new treatments and diagnostics
  
• Multiple sclerosis / patient outcome scales (Professor Jeremy Hobart) – clinical studies / trials into the assessment and treatment of MS and the design, testing and validation of patient outcome scales for clinical application
  
• Parkinson’s disease - clinical (Dr Camille Carroll) – clinical treatment and management, development and testing of new treatments / management tools, clinical trials and drug repurposing
  
• Mental health in disadvantaged communities (Professor Richard Byng) – non-drug based treatment (complex interventions) and management of mental health in disadvantaged communities through health and social care provision
  
• Health and behaviour change (Professor Adrian Taylor) – complex interventions to improve health, and prevent and treat disease through behaviour change, diet and exercise, smoking cessation and to address alcohol and substance misuse
  
• Huntington’s disease (Dr Shouqing Luo) – autophagy regulation and its roles in Huntington's Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases

• Stroke (Professor Bob Fern) – brain damage and disease, including ischemic injury, stroke, cerebal palsy and neurodegenerative disease 
• Peripheral nervous system (Professor David Parkinson) – control and repair, mechanisms of cancer development, brain tumour research
• E-Heatlh / cognitive assessment (Dr Craig Newman) – design, development and validation of cognitive / neurological patient assessment tools (apps) for clinical, health and social care applications, including dementia and epilepsy
  
• Neural stem cells (Dr Claudia Barros) – neural stem cell development and regulation in health and disease, particularly brain tumours
  
• Parkinson's - neurodegenerative disease (Dr Edgar Kramer) - neuronal cell surface protein interactions, signalling and physiological function and their role in neurodegenerative disease
• Mitochondrial biology (Dr Charles Affourtit) – role of mitochondria dysfunction in metabolic and neurodegenerative disease, and immune system function
  
• Psychiatry and genetics (Dr Elaine Green) – genetics of psychiatric conditions, with focus on post-natal depression, bipolar spectrum disorders and psychosis