Trinity institute to study the brain in health and disease

The Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience was officially opened by the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Commerce, Mr Noel Treacy, last night. The institute will co-ordinate the research of about 50 scientists in a multidisciplinary effort involving, initially, eight university departments.

"The theme of the institute is the brain in health and disease," said its director, Prof Ian H. Robertson, of the department of psychology. "What we want to do is bring basic science to bear on the great exploration challenge of the 21st century, namely the human brain."

There was a pressing need for such research because disorders of the central nervous system and the brain would be the biggest contributor to ill health in the coming years, he said. There was also a need to research and understand what took place within the brain during the ageing process and how learning and memory were accomplished in the healthy brain, said Prof Robertson.

It would be a "truly multidisciplinary institute," he added, involving work by researchers in departments including genetics, computer science, biochemistry, medical gerontology, psychology, psychiatry, physiology and pharmacology and therapeutics. The goal would be to link the work of researchers in the laboratory with clinical practitioners working to improve patient care.