University College London's Institute of Neurology, together with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, constitute one of the major centres in the UK for research, postgraduate training and clinical care in neurology and its associated basic science and clinical disciplines.

The Institute is a postgraduate medical institute of University College London. In the most recent HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise in 2001, it was awarded a Grade 5*A, the highest possible rating.

Research at the Institute covers a range of areas in the neurosciences within the Departments of Neurodegenerative Disease, Molecular Neuroscience, Motor Neuroscience & Movement Disorders, Epilepsy, Imaging Neuroscience, Headache, Brain Injury & Rehabilitation and Neuroinflammation. Details of the Institute's research can be found at www.ion.ucl.ac.uk

What's Happening at the Institute of Neurology:

Functional Neurosurgery for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease: 100 patients treated successfully since November 2002
The Functional Neurosurgery Unit (FNU), under the guidance of Professor Marwan Hariz, has performed more than 100 successful operations to regulate the function of faulty brain circuits causing distressing movement disorders in Parkinson's Disease, dystonia and other conditions. This reversible operation is a major advance in treating Parkinson's Disease. See www.parkinsonsappeal.com

Dementia Research Centre wins part of National Institutes of Health (NIH) US$60 million imaging research grant
Professor Martin Rossor, Head of the Institute's Dementia Research Centre, and Dr Nick Fox head a team participating in the NIH sponsored imaging research grant. The study will use non-invasive MR imaging to determine long-term changes in brain structure associated with Alzheimer's Disease.

New Spinal Repair Unit established at Institute of Neurology
Dr Geoffrey Raisman FRS and his team moved to Queen Square thanks to funding from the British Neurological Research Trust and the International Spinal Research Trust. Dr Raisman and his team will concentrate on translating major recent advances in the repair of spinal injury to clinical trials in spinal injured patients.

Professor Nick Wood and colleagues awarded £1.1 million from MRC to investigate the Park 6 gene related to Parkinson's Disease
Professor Wood and his team have identified two new genes which affect the development of familial Parkinson's Disease. These discoveries will further advance our understanding of the changes inside brain cells that lead to PD.

A study using MR techniques for the prognosis and recovery from multiple sclerosis (MS) awarded £2.5 million from MS Society
Professor David Miller and colleagues have been funded to continue their MR imaging studies which have identified better techniques for diagnosis of MS, and for assessing drug treatments of this debilitating disease.

Institute of Neurology
(Queen Square)
University College London
www.ion.ucl.ac.uk