The Research Institute's mission is to drive the development of new research areas aimed at translating the fundamental discoveries made by Cardiff neuroscientists and geneticists in the major psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders into a greater understanding of disease mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Work of the NMHRI spans the lifespan from childhood to old age and includes neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, the major adult psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

An important component of the NMHRI mission is to train the next generation of clinical and non-clinical scientists to continue this vital research into the future. Interdisciplinary work actively exposes basic researchers to the key challenges of translational research and clinical researchers to the potential of advances in basic neurosciences.