Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (UoA4)

We translate the discoveries in neuroscience into health, wellbeing and wealth benefits for the UK and beyond. We undertake clinical research into the causes and impacts of neurological, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions. We work to develop effective approaches to the treatment of these conditions.

Who we are

Our highlights

Some of our highlights include:

Awarded Academic Health Science Centre status in 2020 (AHSC) – Newcastle Health Innovation Partnership (NHIP) - one of only eight centres in the UK
NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Ageing and Long-Term Conditions (BRC) (held continuously since the inception of BRCs in 2007)
Lead of the €50M EU Innovative Medicines Initiative consortium to develop digital mobility biomarkers and seek regulatory approval
Lead of the largest childhood autism research databases and UK autistic adult and relatives cohort studies outside North America
Co-lead of CoroNerve, the MRC-funded UK-wide surveillance study of COVID19-associated neurological and psychiatric conditions
Awardees of a 9-year, £10M Wellcome-EPSRC Innovative Engineering for Health Grant for Controlling Abnormal Network Dynamics with Optogenetics (CANDO) aimed at radical new treatments for epilepsy using light
Development of novel MicroEMG intramuscular electrodes to improve motor neuron disease diagnosis
National coordinators of the Brains for Dementia Research Programme
Our research resulted in policy changes in areas of (1) health and wellbeing in people (e.g. identifying the best drug to treat drooling) and how to measure pain in animals, (2) public policy, law and services (e.g. introduction of polygraphy in UK law, (3) practitioners and professional guidance (e.g. new NICE guidelines, textbook and teaching for undergraduates in speech therapy).

Who we work with

In 2019, the faculty restructured into three research Institutes:

Biosciences
Translational and Clinical Research
Population Health Sciences

Our interdisciplinary research spans all three Institutes. It also incorporates the School of Psychology. We have strong links with neuroengineering and computation in the faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture. We also work on linguistics within the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and key strategic NHS partners.

In recognition of the strength of these NHS partner relationships, we received Academic Health Science Centre status in 2020. Our track record of translating basic science into clinical impact is shown by our NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.

Our research areas

Researchers in UoA4 focus on three main areas. These include:

Neuroscience, Neurodisability & Neurological Disorders

We link world-leading discovery Neuroscience with innovative translational studies. We develop diagnostic tools and interventions to benefit patients.

Key topics include:

cognitive function in health and disease, which has pioneered research into fundamental aspects of vision, hearing, attention, decision making. This includes their links to dementia and mental health
motor studies in animals and humans informing novel technologies for diagnosing and treating movement disorders
Neurological Disorders, including ground-breaking research into epilepsy, stroke and motor neuron disease
Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Neurodisability & Autism, providing interventions for autistic adults and acquired brain injury in children

Mental Health, Dementia & Neurodegeneration

We are grouped around three main research areas:

Lewy Body Disease spectrum, to improve diagnosis and management of patients with this disorder. Newcastle is recognised as a world leader in this field by Expertscape.com
Parkinson’s disease, including identifying gait as a predictive biomarker
Affective Disorders, including identifying potential therapeutic targets in bipolar disorder

Behavioural Science & Psychology

Our focuses include:

human and animal behaviour. This ranges from understanding the evolutionary origins of obesity to collision avoidance in locusts
forensic psychology, where our research underpinned the introduction of two new Bills into UK law

Public partnership and engagement

We contribute to a wide range of research and policy communities. We work through advocacy, leadership and advisory roles, including:

developing evidence-based guidance, e.g. NICE, British Association for Psychopharmacology and European Physiotherapy Guidelines
holding editorial positions across 21 journals. This includes Science and Brain, and two staff members are Editors-in-Chief
contributing to grant funding bodies. This includes URI and Wellcome Trust, and chairing the MRC/EPSRC Hearing Aid Initiative and Neuroscience Panel for the European Research Council Advanced Grants
providing advocacy for a range of bodies such as the NIHR Paediatric Neurosciences, Parkinson's UK College of Experts and Stroke Association Research Panel
during the COVID-19 pandemic, we set up an online mental health support platform. It has since been adopted into NEIs and NHS organisations
working as a lead in the CoroNerve surveillance project. We studied neurological and psychiatric sequelae of COVID19 infection. We are now contributing to the COVID-CNS biomarker study
presenting our ASTEROID game, testing binocular visual function in children. It combined researchers, computer game designers and the public and is now used in research labs worldwide

Our strong tradition of active participation in public engagement continues with annual events. These include:

Pint of Science
Brain Awareness Week
Soapbox Science.

In 2018 and 2019, we collaborated with local community interest company Palace of Science on science festivals. Each event attracting over 200 people. Wellcome public engagement awards fund a dedicated public engagement officer, supporting innovative collaborative art-based events.

Research leadership

We hold leading roles in many national and international initiatives. In addition to those already mentioned, we also work with:

the clinical Dementia with Lewy Bodies International Consortium
together with researchers in UoA1 we lead the £7.4M EU-funded IDEA-FAST, a unique combination of immunology, neurodegeneration and digital research
we lead two NIHR HTA-funded studies into treatment-resistant bipolar depression
we hold the clinical lead for the Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network.

Research Impact

One of our key missions is to translate our high-quality research into health, wellbeing and wealth benefits for the society. This has led to:

approval of the first licensed medication to treat drooling in children with neurodisability
a motor learning approach to speech therapy for children with cerebral palsy underpinned UK guidance and international teaching practice
optimising thrombectomy services to improve patient outcomes from stroke

In addition, research from UoA4 underpinned case studies submitted to other UoAs, including one to a different Panel:

improving the transition of young people with long-term health conditions from child- to adult-oriented healthcare (UoA2)
rabbit grimace scale (UoA6)

Optimising thrombectomy services to improve patient outcomes from stroke

High effectiveness

The most severe type of stroke, large arterial occlusion, accounts for a large amount of the stroke disability burden.

Newcastle confirmed the high effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy in treating large arterial occlusion. These findings came via randomised trial, systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

We also identified that 8,000 stroke patients in England are eligible for thrombectomy every year. We modelled the best service configuration of thrombectomy units to provide care to these patients.

Treatment growth

This research informed national commissioning of thrombectomy services. It underpinned planned changes in the numbers of units providing thrombectomy care.

It also increased the number of thrombectomies performed in England from around 150 in 2015 to around 1,600 in 2019-20.

The number of thrombectomy referrals did reduce by ~28% during COVID-19 pandemic peaks.

Watching eyes: a cost-effective method of deterring undesirable behaviour

Effective theft deterrent

Newcastle University conducted pioneering field experiments into eye imagery. Findings showed eye imagery affects behaviour, which then promotes pro-social behaviour.

Posters displaying 'watching eyes' reduced cycle thefts 63% compared to the same period the year before. We placed them at three cycle racks on the university campus for 12 months.

Newcastle University academics worked with police forces across the UK on this project. They displayed watching eyes posters as cheap, simple and effective cycle theft interventions.

Wider adoption

A German police force has also tested watching eyes posters as a cycle theft deterrent in their region.

Other UK universities have introduced watching eyes posters to combat cycle theft. Personal protective equipment companies produced eye imagery posters after learning of Newcastle research.

Approval of the first licensed medication to treat drooling in children with neurodisability

Treating drooling in neurodisability cases

Neurodevelopmental conditions account for the majority of disability in children. A common symptom is severe and chronic drooling. 

Researchers associate drooling with:

social embarrassment
increased carer burden
risk of pneumonia

The Newcastle-led Drooling Reduction Intervention identified some important findings.

One type of medication used to treat drooling, glycopyrronium bromide (GBr) had fewer side effects. They included dry mouth, pupil dilation and seizures, compared to hyoscine, the most prescribed treatment in the UK. 

Approval and increased use

This research informed a NICE recommendation that GBr should become a first-line treatment, like hyoscine. Newcastle research underpinned UK approval of two proprietary GBr drugs. One of which received further European approval. 

Following licensing, there is now increasing use of GBr in practice in preference to hyoscine.

A new approach to speech therapy for children with cerebral palsy

Benefits of speech therapy

Dysarthria affects over 10,500 children in the UK with cerebral palsy. This is a group of speech disorders that result from poor control of muscles of the chest, throat, face and mouth. 

Newcastle research investigated the benefits of intensive speech therapy. It mainly focused on breath control.

This found significant increases in children’s intelligibility. It increased their confidence and improved participation in communicative interactions.

Newcastle leading by example 

The findings informed national NICE guidelines and these have already started to change practice.

A survey of speech therapists found that they were now focusing on therapies that Newcastle found to be effective. 

The research has also underpinned international undergraduate teaching, including the authoritative textbook.

Interdisciplinary research

The Newcastle University Centres of Research Excellence (NUCoREs) were recently established to promote cross-faculty and interdisciplinary approaches to research. UoA4 researchers led the development of 'Newcastle Centre for Transformative Neuroscience'. They contribute to three other NUCoREs:

Healthier Lives
Ageing and Inequalities
Data, and Rare Diseases

We lead or co-lead three of the newly-established research Themes:

Neuroscience
Neurodisability & Neurological Disorders
Mental Health, Dementia & Neurodegenerationand Behavioural Science & Psychology

We have strong links to research Themes within other UoAs. This includes Rare Diseases in UoA1 to the School of Computing for big data analytics in areas including seizure control gait analysis in UoA11.

Working with us

Facilities

We have purpose-designed, state of the art facilities. The Henry Wellcome Building accommodates the Centre for Translational Systems Neuroscience. It was purpose-built, 2002, and extended in 2012 to double the size. It is funded in part by £1M from The Reece Foundation. The investment provided by NuTH allowed for the expansion of research space and specialist labs in the Sir James Spence Institute.

The Health Innovation Neighbourhood provides space for active collaborations with citizens and houses clinical research activities from:

our NIHR Biomedical Research Centre
Newcastle Brain Tissue Resource
Clinical Ageing Research Unit (CARU)
Centre for In Vivo Imaging
Wolfson Research Building

Inclusivity

We cultivate a supportive, inclusive, fair research environment. The faculty holds Athena Swan Silver status (2019, led by Rowe). The former Institute of Neuroscience held Silver status in 2015. Other key achievements include:

members of UoA4 chair the NU Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Advisory Group and the 'For Families' project to make NU more family-friendly
five UoA4 researchers, including two ECRs, are members of the ALBA network to promote EDI in brain science research
women have key roles within both the Faculty and University. Roles held include University Dean of Research Culture and Strategy, Dean of Advancement, Dean of Research, Faculty Director of EDI, Population and Health Sciences Institute Director, and two former Institute Directors
NU is a member of the Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter and the Business Disability Forum. It is also a Global Stonewall Diversity Champion

Early career researchers (ECRs)

We support our emerging talent through various training programmes within and beyond the Faculty. We aim to develop research and translational skills. NU offers various non-clinical fellowship schemes, including:

faculty fellowships
University Research Fellowships
University Academic Track fellowships

Each fellowship supports different levels of seniority and needs. They support the transition to independence and strive to develop clinical academic researchers. Our ECR community is diverse, with 62% women, 29% from BAME backgrounds and 16% international. It is also successful, with 127 PhDs awarded.

Post-doctoral successes are celebrated at an annual symposium, organised by our Post-Doctoral Committee. At which one ECR winning the best paper prize and appointed ECR keynote speaker at the inaugural symposium. Across NU, we promote research excellence amongst all staff with full compliance with the Research Concordats. Example success stories include the UKRI Future Leaders award to Young.

Our ambitions

We strive to create an interdisciplinary research centre. We encourage collaboration in which experimental and computational scientists, engineers, and clinicians collaborate. They strive to tackle major leading-edge questions and develop research tools that transform neuroscience in the following areas:

cognitive systems. The understanding of the basis of cognition and its link to dementia and mental health
artificial intelligence for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders
neuro-medical engineering for implants, assistive and wearable technology
the development of novel animal models that harnesses our unique rodent-to-primate-to-human translational capabilities
translational to applied research enhancing understanding and treatment of dementias and mental illness
understand how mental navigation of abstract concepts is supported by cerebellar-medial temporal- and prefrontal networks
develop molecular and opto-electronic tools to address clinical needs in epilepsy and motor dysfunction
understand how sensation and perception of basic features link to high-level cognition

We will continue to create a work environment that embraces equality, diversity and inclusivity. We establish a research culture based on openness. Talent at whatever level is nurtured and creative thinking can thrive.