Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute (BCNI)

The Behavioural & Clinical Neuroscience Institute is an interdisciplinary group of neuroscientists in the University of Cambridge working together to understand the behavioural, cognitive and neurobiological basis of psychiatric and neurological disorders with a view to improving treatment of these disorders in the medium term. The proposed research is described in relation to four guiding themes: translation, traits, treatments and training. Translation means combining pre-clinical studies of rodent and primate disease models with experimental medicine studies in healthy volunteers and carefully characterised patients to delineate clear conceptual connections from animal models to clinical syndromes. Traits denotes our intention to identify behavioural and neurobiological markers of disease that may cut across traditional diagnostic boundaries and/or mediate genetic risk for disorders (endophenotypes). It also highlights our focus on mathematical analysis of complex networks (connectomes) in animal and human brain systems. Treatments indicates our long-term scientific focus on neuropsychopharmacology and our growing success in working with industrial partners to evaluate drug mechanisms of action or to apply innovative experimental techniques in the preclinical and early clinical development of new compounds for CNS disorders. Training refers to our plan to build on a strong track record of student achievement in the prior period by creating a distinctive PhD and MPhil training programme in translational neuroscience. Bibliometric and other outcome analysis indicates that the BCNI has already achieved significant international impact in relation to these objectives. In the next 5 years, we are seeking support to foster and enrich the strong inter-disciplinary research culture of the BCNI, and to build on our underpinning capabilities in relation to PET, animal neurophysiology and MRI, computational neurobiology and neurocognitive genetics. We are requesting direct costs for key administrative, technical and scientific support posts; for 3 PhD studentships per year; and for consumable costs related to the marmoset breeding colony and animal and human neuroimaging. The University of Cambridge is committed strategically to the mission and sustainability of the BCNI and this is reflected both by several major infrastructural investments in the previous period and by a substantial financial contribution to the next period of funding. On this basis, we anticipate making a meaningful difference to the understanding and treatment of a wide range of mental health and brain disorders, including addiction, ADHD, neurodegenerative disorders, OCD, depression and psychosis.