UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences

We bring together expertise in audition, vision, and cognition to transform understanding of the mechanisms underlying function and dysfunction in sensory systems. Enterprise initiatives develop and validate new therapeutic approaches in areas ranging from stem cells to neuroprosthetics.

• Ear Institute
• Institute of Ophthalmology
• Deafness Cognition and Language (DCAL) Research Centre
• Research Department of Language and Communication
• Research Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences

Neurodegeneration and neuroprotection are a strategic priority for UCL and the Faculty, building on our world-leading expertise in this area, and reflecting the increasing national and international focus on dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.

We apply integrative molecular, cellular, neuroimaging, epidemiological and cognitive approaches to neurodegenerative disorders affecting the brain, auditory and visual systems in order to define disease, illuminate mechanisms of pathogenesis, and guide the design of therapeutic interventions for disorders of the nervous system.

In addition to a significant number of researchers working in this area from across the Faculty's departments, there are three large research centres supported by our external partners which focus on some of the major neurodegenerative diseases:

• MRC Prion Unit
• UCL Dementia Research Centre
• UK Parkinson's Disease Consortium

See also the UCL Neuroscience Domain: Neurodegeneration 

Mental health disorders are a huge and increasing problem in the UK and globally, creating a major burden on societies and economies.

For the first time, key UCL departments focusing on mental health have come together to be part of a single Faculty creating the critical mass necessary to make UCL a world leading centre for mental health research and education. The potential for combined initiatives between basic neuroscience, clinical and epidemiological psychiatry and clinical psychology, supported by strong external collaborations and partnerships, puts UCL in a unique position to address the global challenges of mental health disorders.

• Division of Psychiatry
• Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology
• Neuroscience and Mental Health Strategy
• UCL Neuroscience Domain: Mental Health

We exploit our expertise in behavioural and cognitive sciences, neurology and neuroscience to improve understanding of the basic neural and cognitive processes underlying human wellbeing from infant development to ageing, and to inform strategies for behavioural change interventions.

• Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
• Centre for Behaviour Change
• Division of Psychology and Language Sciences