Monday, 24 February 2025
Experts at the University of Nottingham have received £2.4m in funding to develop new noninvasive brain stimulation interventions for patients with a wide range of conditions including depression, schizophrenia, and Tourette’s syndrome.
Experts in the University’s School of Medicine, have received a Medical Research Programme Grant to test a series of novel interventions will lead to improved brain function and cognition in brain and mental health.
The study will be Led by Professor Marcus Kaiser and will involve Dr Mohammad Katshu and Professor Stam Sotiropoulos (from the School of Medicine) as well as Professor Stephen Jackson and Dr Jeyoung Jung from the School of Psychology, the project will start mid-2025.
As patients are reluctant to use brain implants, and pharmaceutical drugs can cause severe side effects, new interventions are needed. Non-invasive brain stimulation is an emerging possibility, but so far results have been inconsistent as not all patients respond to these interventions. As we know from animal studies, stimulation can be more effective if it is applied in line with ongoing activity in the brain. Therefore, a closed-loop approach, deciding on the right timing for stimulation has a prospect of better outcomes. Within this project, we will develop closed-loop neuromodulation in humans and test brain function improvements for schizophrenia and depression as well as for Tourette’s syndrome.”
Within this five year programme grant, the team will (1) test the effect of novel ultrasound or magnetic stimulation approaches, (2) study what biological changes ultrasound stimulation causes, (3) try to predict intervention outcomes, and (4) test brain function improvements in patients with psychiatric (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression) and neurological (tics disorder) disorders.
A patient highlighted “The chance to improve someone’s quality of life so profoundly in ways that can often be minimally invasive is an exciting frontier.”
The project is part of Precision Imaging, the Institute of Mental Health, and the new Centre for Neurotechnology, Neuromodulation, and Neurotherapeutics (CN3) that will launch in May 2025. The CN3 brings together more than 24 faculty members ranging from basic research to clinical trials.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 24 in Europe and 15th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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