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Clinical Neurosciences

Welcome to the Department of Clinical Neurosciences. 

Our mission is to improve the lives of people with neurological disorders. 

We are embedded within Cambridge University Hospitals, allowing our research questions to stem from problems we have encountered in the clinic, and to directly address the needs of patients and families. We work in partnership with the Departments of Psychiatry, Genetics and Paediatrics, to improve Brain and Mind Health, through life, together.

We investigate the mechanisms of brain disease and injury, to devise new diagnostics and treatments, as well as using large data to improve the way we deliver current treatments. Our work has already led to new treatments in use world-wide.

Professor Alasdair Coles
Head of Department

 


 



Latest news

Ultra-high-field brain scans reveal brain chemistry of severe Covid-19 survivors

6 November 2025

A study led by the University of Cambridge Department of Clinical Neurosciences has shown that ultra-high field MRI scans can measure brain metabolites in COVID-19 patients. The study revealed higher levels of an inflammation marker called myo-inositol in patients who reported poorer mental health after a COVID-19...

Standardised brain scans improve tracking of inflammation for neurodegenerative conditions

6 November 2025

In a new study, UK DRI Emerging Leader Dr Maura Malpetti and Harry Crook (UK DRI at Cambridge) developed a method of standardising brain imaging results for PSP and Alzheimer’s. The research, published in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging , paves the way for larger studies and more accurate...

Dementia linked to problems with brain’s waste clearance system

23 October 2025

Problems with the brain’s waste clearance system could underlie many cases of dementia and help explain why poor sleep patterns and cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure increase the risk of dementia. A study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge found that impaired movement of cerebrospinal...