Neurological Disease and neurosciences research represent almost 50% of UCL’s biomedical science activity and are ranked second in the world for publications and citations. Over 400 laboratories span the breadth of neuroscience research from molecules to humans with integrated activity spread throughout the Institutes and Divisions of the School of Life and Medical Sciences (SLMS), and across the clinical facilities of UCLH.
There are several major themes within Neurological disease supported by substantial clinical, academic and resource infrastructures that cut across institutional boundaries, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the research. These are underpinned at the basic science level by internationally renowned expertise in systems and cognitive neuroscience, cell, molecular and structural biology and genetics, and developmental biology.
Uniquely among UK institutions, UCL & partners were selected by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to host three of the twelve national centres of excellence in translational research: a Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre (CBRC) (with 5 key neurology-related themes of neurodegeneration, pain & headache, neurodiagnostics, neurotherapeutics and neuro-imaging); plus two Specialist Biomedical Research Centres (SBRCs) focused on child health (at ICH/GOSH); and Ophthalmology (IoO/MEH). They receive substantial funding to translate fundamental biomedical research into clinical research and will be early exploiters of the latest advances in technologies, techniques and interventions for improving health.
- UCL generates over 30% of the UK’s contribution to the most highly cited publications in neuroscience, more than twice as much as any other UK university.
- In neuroimaging and clinical neurology, UCL produces 65% and 44% of the UK's contribution to the world's most highly cited papers, five-fold larger than that of the next highest UK institution.
- Since 2001, > 647 papers have been published by UCL Neurosciences in specialist journals with an Impact Factor > 10 (i.e. the premier international science and clinical journals).
- In excess of 230 papers published since 2001 have been cited more than 100 times (mean expected in Neuroscience & Behaviour since 2001 is 12.04, & the median is 12.42).
- The single-most highly cited paper in neuroscience (McDonald et al5) has been cited 1437 times. Seven of the world’s top 50 most highly cited neuroscientists come from UCL.
- UCL co-hosts the coordinating centre for DeNDRoN the NIHR dementia and neurodegenerative diseases network.