Neuroscience Research Australia (or NeuRA) is an independent, not for profit medical research institute based in Sydney, Australia.

This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. (February 2011)

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Neuroscience Research Australia

Established	1991 (1991)
Research type	Medical research
Director	Professor Matthew Kiernan AM[1]
Faculty	400+
Location	Sydney, New South Wales
Campus	Randwick
Nickname	NeuRA
Affiliations	University of New South Wales, Black Dog Institute, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD), Mindgardens Network.
Website	www.neura.edu.au

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Neuroscience Research Australia is made up of over 400 researchers specialising in research aimed at improving the lives of people living with brain and nervous system disorders. The institute’s research spans neurodegeneration, including dementia and Parkinson’s disease; mental health and mental illness including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; and translational neuroscience including falls prevention, pain and injury prevention.

NeuRA regularly receives funding for projects from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council and Medical Research Future Fund, as well as private philanthropy.

Situated among the Randwick Health Precinct, NeuRA is affiliated with Black Dog Institute, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD), UNSW Sydney and Mindgardens Network.

NeuRA’s research activity is organised into three themes:

• Neurodegeneration: Ageing in indigenous and general populations, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia and other types of dementia, mitochondrial disease, motor neuron disease, NeuroHIV and Parkinson's disease;
• Mental health: Wellbeing and resilience, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and stress-related psychopathology;
• Translational neuroscience: Back and muscle pain, balance training, sleep apnoea, injury prevention, chronic pain, falls prevention, hip fracture care and recovery, spinal cord injury, neural injury, phantom limb pain, sensation, stroke and vestibular balance.

NeuRA houses research centres, including the Sydney Brain Bank,^[2] Spinal Cord Injury Research Centre,^[3] Transurban Road Safety Centre^[4] and Centre for Pain IMPACT.^[5]

NeuRA runs the Australian and New Zealand Hip Fracture Registry which works to improve care outcomes. It was established by the Professor Jacqui Close and Professor Ian Harris in 2012.

Professor Peter Schofield AO and Dr Bill Brooks are founding members of the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) study – a significant collaborative effort studying familial Alzheimer’s disease through sites in the US, Australia, England and Germany. In 2012, DIAN researchers showed the onset of symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease is preceded by the accumulation of amyloid (abnormal protein) in the brain over a period of 15 to 20 years. This study paved the way for using biomarkers as surrogate end points in clinical trials.^[11]

In 2013, National Child Restraint Guidelines developed by Professor Lynne Bilston and Associate Professor Julie Brown were adopted by the Australian government and this resulted in a reduction of child fatalities in motor vehicles by 45% .^[12]

In 2017, Associate Professor Ingvars Birznieks discovered the neural code used to signal touch sensation.^[13]

In November 2018, NeuRA’s team of neuroscientists led by George Paxinos reported a finding of a new region of the human brain which they called the endorestiform nucleus. The group adopted an innovative enhanced staining method.^[14]

In 2018, Professor Cyndi Shannon Weickert discovers immune cells in brains of many people with schizophrenia opening new avenues for treatment.^[15]

In 2019, Professor Kaarin Anstey and Associate Professor Ruth Peters contribute to World Health Organisation guidelines on risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia.^[16] The Guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations on relevant lifestyle behaviours and interventions. They are designed to be a vital tool for health care providers, governments and policy makers.

In 2021, Associate Professors Jan Fullerton and Tom Weickert and Professors Peter Schofield AO, Melissa Green and Professor Cyndi Shannon Weickert were recently involved in the world’s largest bipolar genetics study, comprising 200 institutions and over 415,000 research participants. The study identified 64 genomic regions that make people more susceptible to bipolar disorder – more than doubling the number of regions previously identified – and pinpointed the specific genes and pathways impacted. The study also revealed DNA sequence differences in specific genes that are involved in the therapeutic action of antipsychotics and a range of other medicines, which could lead to the development of more targeted medications, or the repurposing of existing medications as potential treatments.^[17]

• Health in Australia