Biological pathway in the brain could help explain why teenage girls are more depressed than boys

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) King’s College London has shown that a biological brain mechanism called the ‘kynurenine pathway’ is imbalanced in adolescents with depression, and this imbalance is more pronounced in teenage girls than boys.

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 25 Mar 2025

EDGI UK collaborating with the Broad Institute to sequence exomes of participants with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

The NIHR BioResource Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative UK (EDGI UK) is now collaborating with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a research organisation in the USA that convenes a community of researchers from across many disciplines and partner institutions.

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 19 Mar 2025

Does the ethnicity of mental health research participants reflect the eligible population?

Dr Aikaterini Dima, Core Psychiatry Trainee at the Maudsley Training Programme and Dr Juliana Onwumere, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Reader in Clinical Psychology at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust explore in this blog how well the ethnicity of mental health research participants aligns with the local population served.

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 19 Mar 2025

Genomic links between eating disorder symptoms and suicidal ideation

Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder are more than just struggles with food and body image—they carry serious medical and psychological risks. Among these risks, mortality, especially suicide, stands out. Eating disorders have some of the highest mortality rates among psychiatric conditions, with a significant portion of deaths attributed to suicide. But why do these conditions and suicidal ideation so often go hand in hand?

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 17 Mar 2025

Three quarters of people who have taken antidepressants say they were helpful

75% of a sample of nearly 20,000 people who have taken selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) report they found them helpful, finds new research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London.

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 13 Mar 2025