Research Groups > Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience Psychiatric Imaging

Mental illnesses are a major cause of ill health and premature death. They account for four of the six leading causes of adult disability in the world and one in every ten hospital beds in the UK is for the treatment of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.

Current work in the Group focuses on:

• Understanding the brain changes that lead to the development of psychotic disorders, using multi-modal imaging with PET and fMRI
• Examining the effects of cannabis and other drugs on the brain, and the influence of common genetic polymorphisms on brain function
• Determining why some patients respond to treatments and others don’t
• Using novel approaches to diagnosing mental illnesses
• Developing animal models for future drug development

PET scans of cannabinoid receptor

PET scan image of dopamine synthesis capacity in schizophrenia