Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has taken steps to invest in research for early detection of neurological conditions.

The Government is committed to supporting research into the early detection of neurological conditions and funds such research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research for early detection of neurological conditions. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The NIHR delivers the Clinical Research Network Neurological Disorders Speciality Group, which supports clinical research in the National Health Service in epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, headache, neuro-muscular disease, neurological infections, and the normal development of the nervous system. By promoting high quality clinical research, the group aims to increase the understanding of the causes of these conditions, and improve the prevention, detection, care and treatment for people suffering from them. The NIHR has also supported studies relating to the early detection of neurological conditions, such as Project Rhapsody which investigated the clinical feasibility of using artificial intelligence-based deep audio and language processing techniques to diagnose neurological and psychiatric diseases.