Experimental Psychology and Neurotrauma

Priority Area Leads: Professor Ann Logan, Neuropharmacology and Neurobiology, a.logan@bham.ac.uk and Professor Chris Miall, School of Psychology, hos.psychology@contacts.bham.ac.uk

This area focuses on research into the healthy and injured brain at molecular, biochemical, genetic, cellular, structural or behavioural/cognitive levels.  It includes experimental approaches around human cognitive or sensory-motor function in health, in disease, and after neurotrauma, and experimental approaches using in vivo and in vitro models to study  cellular responses to neurotrauma. Our translational work examines candidate drugs and treatments following neurotrauma. We also engage in functional and structural imaging of brain injury and develop tools and techniques for clinicians for both diagnosis and recovery.

Current & recent research

  • In the School of Psychology there are strengths in all areas of cognition, in sensory-motor function and in developmental psychology. 
  • Recent research highlights are available from the School of Psychology website.
  • We combine research on healthy participants with extensive testing of cognitive function in large neuropsychological test panel, with patients documented with full neurological and neuropsychological profiles.
  • There are active research links between Psychology (College of Life and Environmental Sciences), neuroscientists in Clinical & Experimental Medicine (College of Medical and Dental Sciences), and bioengineers, chemists and computer scientists (College of Engineering and Physical Sciences) plus growing links with the School of Education (College of Social Sciences).
  • There are fast growing links between the University, the Royal Centre of Defence Medicine (all UK military casualties are treated in Birmingham) and the University Hospital Birmingham, centred around the newly opened NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre at the Hopsital. This Birmingham partnership is developing a national centre for trauma research at Birmingham, with the Neurotrauma Research Group as a core component

Birmingham's track records in this area

  • Current funding directly attributable to the Neurotrauma group of researchers stands at around £4.6M, and in 2012 exceeds £1.5M in new awards from NIHR, MRC and the Wellcome Trust.
  • The MRC funds a Trauma Research Network for translational research in the acutely injured patient, wound care and infection, regenerative medicine and rehabilitation (£300k)
  • Prof Logan leads one of the 3 research themes within the SRMRC termed “Regenerative and Reconstructive Medicine” with a primary focus on head and eye trauma.
  • There is extensive current funding from BBRSC, MRC, ESRC, EPSRC, EU-FP7 and Wellcome Trust within the School of Psychology, totally about £4M per annum.

Equipment

  • We have expertise in all modern brain imaging methods (EEG, MRI, MRS, MEG, TMS).
  • We have excellent facilities including the BUIC imaging centre with 3T research dedicated scanner, high density EEG, multiple eye tracking, motion tracking and TMS systems, a child and infant lab (specialist EEG, eyetracking and habituation equipment), and cognitive testing rooms
  • We have world-class laboratories for wet laboratory and animal research in the Institute of Biomedical Research, with a Technology Hub providing specialist equipment and facilities for all aspects of metabolomic, genomic and proteomic research.

Key individuals