One in three people will experience a mental health or brain disorder in their lifetime, yet current treatments remain incompletely effective. The Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute (BCNI) at the University of Cambridge brings together biologists and clinicians to work out exactly how abnormalities in brain function, cognition, and behaviour lead to conditions such as depression, addiction, and Alzheimer’s disease. The problem is that the origins of many of these disorders are poorly understood, and existing medicines often fall short. The BCNI uses a translational strategy—experiments in both animals and humans—to bridge that gap. If successful, the Institute’s work could directly improve the drugs available to patients, making treatments more targeted and effective. The funding will support core staff, equipment, and advanced brain imaging techniques for both species, as well as expanded post-doctoral training programmes to produce the next generation of translational neuroscientists. The University of Cambridge has committed to the Institute’s long-term mission. The personal and national costs of brain disorders are enormous and rising; better understanding and better medicines are the only way to change that trajectory.
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Mental health and brain disorders, such as depression, addiction or Alzheimer?s disease, are some of the most significant health challenges we face in the 21st century. Mental health disorders are common ? about one third of the population will be directly affected at some stage in life - and can cause severe distress and disability, with significant social and economic impact. Neurodegenerative disorders are less common but they cause dementia with devastating effects on cognition and personality. Overall, the personal and national costs of brain and mental health disorders are enormous and are projected to rise further as the UK population ages. However, we are currently somewhat ignorant about the origins of many of these disorders and the available treatments are, at best, incompletely effective. The mission of the Behavioural & Clinical Neuroscience Institute, simply put, is to make a fundamental difference to this situation. The BCNI is a group of biological and clinical brain scientists drawn together with a common purpose from many different departments of the University of Cambridge. We have developed a distinctive ?translational? research strategy that involves experimental work with animals as well as humans. We aim to improve scientific understanding of how abnormalities in brain function, cognition and behaviour can lead to clinical disorders. We are also committed to discovering more about how drugs can change brain function, and to driving forward the development of new and more effective medicines for brain and mental health disorders disorders by working closely with partners in industry. This is an ambitious strategy but we believe that our internationally outstanding track record of achievement over the past 5 years demonstrates that we can make further progress to deliver it. In the next 5-year period we are seeking support for core staff posts and equipment that are necessary to sustain ongoing and innovative research projects aligned with this strategy. The core infrastructural funding of the BCNI will add value to a wide range of projects and build new state-of-the-art capabilities, such as advanced brain imaging techniques for animals and humans, that are critical to maintain scientific momentum. We are also planning to increase the scale and scope of our post-doctoral training programmes to meet the growing demand for a next generation of well-trained young translational neuroscientists. The University of Cambridge is committed to the long-term sustainability of the BCNI?s mission to improve understanding and treatment of brain and mental health disorders.
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