Neurological disorders such as stroke are severely disabling and a leading cause of death in modern societies. Sensory disorders, particularly age-related hearing loss, cause significant disability in older age and increase the risk of dementia in affected individuals. These conditions, separately and together, place a substantial and increasing burden on health and social care services in the UK. The MRC CBU supports fundamental research on neurological and sensory disorders focussed on perceptual and cognitive functions that support everyday activities such as having a conversation, or making a meal. We use brain imaging to assess the causes of perceptual and cognitive impairments to provide new methods of diagnosis and targets for treatment. We also carry out research on prosthetic devices such as cochlear implants and memory aids to reduce the disability that individuals with neurological and sensory disorders experience in everyday life.