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Preclinical Neurobiology encompasses a number of research groups in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy that collectively study the nervous system - the brain, spinal cord and the nerves connecting these structures to the rest of the body.

We represent the basic ‘preclinical science’ arm of the University’s Priority Research Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health. Our groups are based primarily at the Callaghan Precinct of the Hunter Medical Research Institute.

Studying the Brain

The importance of this research cannot be overstated. More than 1,000 disorders of the brain and nervous system result in more hospitalizations than any other disease group, including heart disease and cancer.

In 2007, the World Health Organization estimated that neurological disorders affect up to one billion people worldwide. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, brain conditions, including psychiatric disorders, make up 25 percent of Australia’s disease burden.

The cost of these diseases is high across the globe. For example, the European Brain Council estimated that neurological diseases in Europe alone cost one trillion dollars in 2010.