Michael Browning
@mikebrowning.bsky.social
Researcher and psychiatrist in Oxford
Interesting new study of pramipexole in anhedonic low mood in mdd, bipolar and dysthymia. Some cool mechanistic outcomes: www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-7...
Efficacy and target engagement of dopamine agonist pramipexole for anhedonic depression - the PRIME-PRAXOL randomized controlled trial
Here, we examined the efficacy and target engagement of dopamine agonist pramipexole in treating a cross-diagnostic sample of mood disorders characterized by severe anhedonia. Patients with major depr...
www.researchsquare.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Interesting new study of pramipexole in anhedonic low mood in mdd, bipolar and dysthymia. Some cool mechanistic outcomes: www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-7...
Really interesting, brief ideas paper. Clearly relevant to treatment research-- the mechanism by which you leave an illness state is unlikely to just be the opposite of the mechanism by which you entered it (can see how this might apply to e.g. SSRIs in depression).
Thrilled to share a new paper in @jamapsychiatry.com on path asymmetry in complex dynamic systems of psychopathology! jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
With amazing collaborators @tfblanken.bsky.social, Han van der Maas, & Denny Borsboom 🥳
With amazing collaborators @tfblanken.bsky.social, Han van der Maas, & Denny Borsboom 🥳
Path Asymmetry in Complex Dynamic Systems of Psychopathology
This article illustrates the assumption of path symmetry in current theories of psychopathology and calls for the development of dynamical systems of mental illness that incorporate asymmetry.
jamanetwork.com
October 31, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Really interesting, brief ideas paper. Clearly relevant to treatment research-- the mechanism by which you leave an illness state is unlikely to just be the opposite of the mechanism by which you entered it (can see how this might apply to e.g. SSRIs in depression).
Reposted by Michael Browning
Gulliver Waite took part in the PAX-D trial testing Pramipexole for treatment resistant depression @ox.ac.uk. He told @theguardian.com how being part of the study made a difference to his life.
👉 Gulliver's story
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
👉 The findings www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/parkins...
👉 Gulliver's story
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
👉 The findings www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/parkins...
‘I wish I had taken part sooner’: how a medical trial transformed a young person’s life
Exclusive: Gulliver Waite signed up after antidepressants and talking therapies failed to alleviate clinical depression
www.theguardian.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Gulliver Waite took part in the PAX-D trial testing Pramipexole for treatment resistant depression @ox.ac.uk. He told @theguardian.com how being part of the study made a difference to his life.
👉 Gulliver's story
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
👉 The findings www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/parkins...
👉 Gulliver's story
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
👉 The findings www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/parkins...
Really lovely story from one of our participants in the recent PAX-D study. If you are interested in the results of the study, you can find them here: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
October 20, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Really lovely story from one of our participants in the recent PAX-D study. If you are interested in the results of the study, you can find them here: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Michael Browning
‘I wish I took part sooner’: how a medical trial transformed a young person’s life
‘I wish I took part sooner’: how a medical trial transformed a young person’s life
Exclusive: Gulliver Waite signed up after antidepressants and talking therapies failed to alleviate clinical depression
www.theguardian.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:48 AM
‘I wish I took part sooner’: how a medical trial transformed a young person’s life
Reposted by Michael Browning
Curious about how scientists measure brain activity through EEG? Swipe to read more! ⚡️
September 24, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Curious about how scientists measure brain activity through EEG? Swipe to read more! ⚡️
Reposted by Michael Browning
Depression can affect the mind, body and daily life in ways you might not expect.
🧠Swipe to learn the key signs and symptoms – and why recognising them matters.
#Depression #Mentalhealth #Research
🧠Swipe to learn the key signs and symptoms – and why recognising them matters.
#Depression #Mentalhealth #Research
August 15, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Depression can affect the mind, body and daily life in ways you might not expect.
🧠Swipe to learn the key signs and symptoms – and why recognising them matters.
#Depression #Mentalhealth #Research
🧠Swipe to learn the key signs and symptoms – and why recognising them matters.
#Depression #Mentalhealth #Research
Reposted by Michael Browning
New preprint alert with @mikebrowning.bsky.social
and Chamith Halahakoon!
People have been using computer-based reinforcement learning tasks with affect probes. But to what extent do they reflect real-life affective experience? We tested this with 3 weeks of EMA + RL tasks in 339 participants.
and Chamith Halahakoon!
People have been using computer-based reinforcement learning tasks with affect probes. But to what extent do they reflect real-life affective experience? We tested this with 3 weeks of EMA + RL tasks in 339 participants.
September 22, 2025 at 11:06 PM
New preprint alert with @mikebrowning.bsky.social
and Chamith Halahakoon!
People have been using computer-based reinforcement learning tasks with affect probes. But to what extent do they reflect real-life affective experience? We tested this with 3 weeks of EMA + RL tasks in 339 participants.
and Chamith Halahakoon!
People have been using computer-based reinforcement learning tasks with affect probes. But to what extent do they reflect real-life affective experience? We tested this with 3 weeks of EMA + RL tasks in 339 participants.
Pramipexole vs. quetiapine vs. amantadine in TRD. Interesting open label, short term RCT using a surprisingly low dose (I suspect that the reported dose of 37.5mg of pramipexole is a typo and it should be 0.375mg)
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Comparative efficacy of antidepressant augmentation with amantadine vs pramipexole in treatment-resistant unipolar depression: A randomised controlled trial
Augmentation strategies for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are limited, with strongest evidence for atypical antipsychotics. Given emerging insi…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 16, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Pramipexole vs. quetiapine vs. amantadine in TRD. Interesting open label, short term RCT using a surprisingly low dose (I suspect that the reported dose of 37.5mg of pramipexole is a typo and it should be 0.375mg)
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Michael Browning
V important meta-analysis doi.org/10.1001/jama...: Discontinuation symptoms 1 week post stopping antidepressants was below the threshold for clinically significant discontinuation syndrome. Later worse mood is likely depression relapse @jfhayes.bsky.social @sameerjauhar.bsky.social.
Incidence and Nature of Antidepressant Discontinuation Symptoms
This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the presence and incidence of discontinuation symptoms in individuals who stop taking antidepressants.
doi.org
July 9, 2025 at 10:54 PM
V important meta-analysis doi.org/10.1001/jama...: Discontinuation symptoms 1 week post stopping antidepressants was below the threshold for clinically significant discontinuation syndrome. Later worse mood is likely depression relapse @jfhayes.bsky.social @sameerjauhar.bsky.social.
Reposted by Michael Browning
🎊Recently, colleagues from across the @NIHRresearch Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) gathered for a celebration of progress and partnership in mental health research.
➡️ oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/nihr-mental-...
➡️ oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/nihr-mental-...
July 4, 2025 at 8:53 AM
🎊Recently, colleagues from across the @NIHRresearch Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) gathered for a celebration of progress and partnership in mental health research.
➡️ oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/nihr-mental-...
➡️ oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/nihr-mental-...
Our new study published in TheLancetPsych! We found that pramipexole augmentation substantially reduced depressive symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant depression over 48 weeks of treatment. This is an important advance in how we treat depression! 1/6
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Pramipexole augmentation for the acute phase of treatment-resistant, unipolar depression: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised trial in the UK
In this trial involving participants with treatment-resistant depression, pramipexole
augmentation of antidepressant treatment, at a target dose of 2·5 mg, demonstrated
a reduction in symptoms relativ...
www.thelancet.com
June 30, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Our new study published in TheLancetPsych! We found that pramipexole augmentation substantially reduced depressive symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant depression over 48 weeks of treatment. This is an important advance in how we treat depression! 1/6
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Michael Browning
Delighted to announce this position www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/current-vaca.... It's part of the Mental Health Mission Mood Disorders Research Clinic Network, aiming to support clinical trials in mood disorders in the UK. Should be very interesting! oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/mhm/mood-dis...
Current vacancies
www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk
June 24, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Delighted to announce this position www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/current-vaca.... It's part of the Mental Health Mission Mood Disorders Research Clinic Network, aiming to support clinical trials in mood disorders in the UK. Should be very interesting! oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/mhm/mood-dis...
Reposted by Michael Browning
RELMED.ac.uk is now open to recruitment. This @wellcometrust.bsky.social-funded study wellcome.org/research-fun... will ask whether reinforcement learning tasks are differentially sensitive to dopaminergic and serotonergic antidepressants.
June 2, 2025 at 9:11 PM
RELMED.ac.uk is now open to recruitment. This @wellcometrust.bsky.social-funded study wellcome.org/research-fun... will ask whether reinforcement learning tasks are differentially sensitive to dopaminergic and serotonergic antidepressants.