First of its kind digital therapeutic research identifies poor sleep as target for improving depressive symptoms
18 September 2020
The effects of the digital therapeutic Sleepio (a digital sleep programme) may extend to depressive symptoms, according to new research published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
Impact of returning to school on adolescent mental health the subject of a new study Public Engagement Research
18 September 2020
Researchers from Department of Experimental Psychology have found that, during lockdown, teenagers mental health is struggling compared to their parents.
Scientists discover what happens in our brains when we make educated guesses
18 September 2020
Researchers have identified how cells in our brains work together to join up memories of separate experiences, allowing us to make educated guesses in everyday life.
Raised blood pressure and diabetes alter brain structure
17 September 2020
In a new study, neuroscientists have found that raised blood pressure and diabetes in mid-life alter brain structure to slow thinking speed and memory.
A Psychological Approach to Boosting Physical Activity in a Pandemic
10 August 2020
The decrease in mood homeostasis due to lockdown translates (in simulations) into 3 times more episodes of depressed mood, according to a study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, led by Dr Maxime Taquet, University of Oxford.
Nervous system cells defined in unprecedented detail
28 May 2020
The collaborating groups of Professor Stephen Goodwin and Professor Scott Waddell based in The Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour (CNCB) are shedding new light on what precisely constitutes a neuronal cell type.
How has COVID-19 Impacted on People's Vulnerability to Mental Illness and Depression?
28 May 2020
The Oxford University COSIE study (COvid-19, Social Isolation and Emotion) is an online study which asked people about their experiences during the coronavirus lockdown in late April 2020, while also using objective tests of psychological function to measure vulnerability to mental illness such as depression.
New Oxford University Research Study Will Track What Helps or Harms Adolescents’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Crisis
28 May 2020
A new research survey launches today from experts at the University of Oxford along with collaborators from the Universities of Cambridge, Glasgow, and New South Wales. It will track adolescents’ mental health during the COVID-19 crisis to find out what promotes or hinders their resilience.
Nuffield Early Language Intervention Found Highly Effective in Large-Scale Trial
28 May 2020
The Nuffield Early Language Intervention catch-up programme developed by Maggie Snowling and Charles Hulme – has been found to give a 3+ month boost to the language skills of 4-5 year-olds who are falling behind.
Let them know you care – social disconnection worsens mental health after a loss
28 May 2020
Keeping grief hidden can be a survival strategy after suffering a bereavement. However, new research released today shows that the social disconnection caused by concealing feelings of loss can increase psychological distress.
Studying the impact of COVID-19 on epilepsy
28 May 2020
NDCN researchers lead a global study based on analysing survey data
Using MRI to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the brain
28 May 2020
A team of NDCN neuroimaging researchers will lead this study, which has received a grant from the University of Oxford's COVID-19 Research Response Fund.
Natural mood regulation low or even absent in people with depression: how will lockdown affect this?
24 April 2020
Supporting natural mood regulation is a new direct target for developing novel treatments, optimising existing ones and integrating drug and psychotherapies to reduce the disease burden of depression, according to new research, published in JAMA Psychiatry, from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford.
A new blood-based test to help predict Parkinson’s disease
24 April 2020
Research carried out by George Tofaris and his team has led to the development of a new way to test for Parkinson’s disease before the main symptoms occur. This could allow clinicians to identify patients who would benefit from precision therapies that are currently at clinical trial stage.
Lifetime suicide risk factors identified
27 January 2020
A new review by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry of previous studies into suicide worldwide has highlighted the effects of individual and environmental risk factors over a lifetime.
Oxford is joint top recruiter to drug-resitant epilepsy study
29 October 2019
Research Highlights Strategic Developments
The Oxford Epilepsy Research Group is at the forefront of some potentially ground-breaking work with patients who have drug-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsy affects over 50 million people worldwide and nearly one in three people with epilepsy are resistant to current drugs.