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Psychological medicine and clinical neurosciences

A bird's eye view of the Hadyn Ellis building foyer busy with visitors.
Visitors to the Hadyn Ellis building meeting Cardiff University researchers.

Our research aims to understand the fundamental mechanisms underlying major psychiatric and neurological disorders.

The department hosts more than 160 academic and research staff, and more than 40 current postgraduate research students.

Our programmes of work include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression in children and adolescents, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy among others.

We have a major focus on genetics and genomics but also an interest in brain imaging, epidemiology, cell biology, molecular and behavioural neuroscience, bioinformatics and data science. In addition, there is also work on psychoeducation, health services, and patient and public involvement and engagement.

Our research in psychiatry and neuroscience was ranked 7th in the UK by REF 2021. 95% of our research is deemed as either world-leading or internationally excellent.

The department is home to several research centres:

As well as the Canopi mental health support service.

Latest news

Read the most current research news from the Department of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences.

Computer generated image of DNA strand

New gene-editing approach shows promise in treating Huntington's disease in mice

21 October 2026

Team led by Cardiff University have developed a novel gene-editing technique that restored healthier brain function and significantly improved movement in mouse models of Huntington's disease.

Deprivation worsens mental health of children with intellectual disabilities

15 October 2026

Socioeconomic disadvantage is consistently associated with poorer mental health outcomes for children with intellectual developmental disabilities.

ADHD in girls may be masked at school and more visible at home

9 October 2026

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) in girls may be overlooked because their difficulties are often less disruptive at school and become more apparent at home, according to new research from the Wolfson Centre at Cardiff University.

Dr Esther Wright and Dr Lucy Riglin

New Future Leaders Fellows announced

8 October 2026

Dr Esther Wright and Dr Lucy Riglin have been awarded UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

Collaborative event highlights importance of lived experience voices in research

30 September 2026

The Brain and Genomics Hub recently hosted a lived experience involvement event at Cardiff University.

podcast headphones and speech bubbles with family, school and friends icon

Wolfson researcher joins Mind the Kids podcast to discuss support for children with mild intellectual difficulties

17 September 2026

Dr Foteini Tseliou has joined ACAMH’s Mind the Kids podcast to discuss what helps children with mild intellectual difficulties achieve better emotional, behavioural and educational outcomes.

Irritability, anxiety and negative thought patterns in ADHD associated with increased depression risk

2 September 2026

New research could help clinicians and families identify new approaches to preventing and treating depression among children and young adults living with ADHD

Children pipetting at Be a Brain Explorer event

Brain research is interactive and exciting at Be a Brain Explorer 2026

15 August 2026

Brain research is interactive and exciting at Be a Brain Explorer 2026

Meet the researcher: unravelling the mysteries of brain development

5 August 2026

Olivia Squire, PhD researcher at the Hodge Centre for Translational Neuroscience, shares her experiences of working to understand how the brain develops.

A diverse group of people stand outside smiling in front of the Hadyn Ellis Building

International summer school reaches new heights in its sixteenth year

30 July 2026

The annual Summer School in Brain Disorders Research, hosted by Cardiff University's Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG) and the National Centre for Mental Health, returned this July for its sixteenth year.