Urban life is known to impact on rates of schizophrenia, however, until now, very little was known about the influential factors that led to this increased risk. A new study from the department elucidates some of the key determinants that lead to increased risk for psychotic illness in urban areas, highlighting the role of social and economic inequality. Results [...]
Dr Graham Murray appointed Unversity Lecturer in Psychiatry
November 1, 2012 by
The Department would like to extend congratulations to Dr Graham Murray who has recently been appointed as University Lecturer in Psychiatry and honorary consultant psychiatrist. Julia Graham caught up with him to discuss his research and his plans for the new role. Dr Murray first came to Cambridge in 2000 to begin his clinical psychiatry training, [...]
Modafinil effects on schizophrenia: A systematic review
October 15, 2012 by
Modafinil is a central nervous system wake promoting agent that has been recently used as a cognitive enhancer, although its neural functions are not entirely understood. In a recent publication in Neuropharmacology led by Dr Linda Scoriels, the effects of modafinil in cognitive and emotional function are reviewed. Modafinil was created in the 1970s, and despite it [...]
Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: The 2012 Paykel Lecture
October 4, 2012 by
The 2012 Paykel lecture in Psychiatry, entitled ’The Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: Neural Basis and Clinical Relevance”, was given this week by Professor Eileen Joyce, Professor of Neuropsychiatry at UCL. Prof Joyce, who is also Chair of the British Neuropsychiatry Association, began with a short history of schizophrenia research, from Freud through the sociology of the 1960s [...]
Epigenomics paper offers insight into the role of prenatal nutrition and schizophrenia
June 11, 2012 by
A article in an upcoming issue of Epigenomics offers a perspective on the link between prenatal nutrition and schizophrenia. The paper, led by Dr James Kirkbride from the Department of Psychiatry in collaboration with other groups, reviews the evidence for links between prenatal nutrition and epigenetic changes in schizophrenia. The role of epigenetics, which refers to alterations in [...]