Autumns has arrived - the @kingsioppn.bsky.social campuses are buzzing with new students but still sunny and mild enough for an early morning coffee outside at Ortus.

This morning's email had *four* paper review requests - again.
Important to contribute to keeping peer review moving. We have two papers languishing at journals for 6-9 months, with real impact on #ECR careers.
Suggestions for short-term fixes to help this broken system?
#academia #publishing

At @edinburghup.bsky.social University for two day AMBER team meeting.
@wellcometrust.bsky.social project to identify the causal mechanisms underlying #antidepressants using informatics, genomics & cellular approaches.

Congratulations to Lachlan Gilchrist for his successful #PhD viva on Friday. He even admitted to enjoying the discussion!
Thanks to examiners @daniellenewby.bsky.social and Golam Khandaker & my @drivehealth.bsky.social co-supervisor @ppetra.bsky.social.

@kingsioppn.bsky.social

The SGDP Centre Atrium bookshare captures so much of our work culture.
From The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Neuropsychiatry to Jane Austen & Sarah J Maas.
Books in English, Chinese, French.
Suggested donations supporting local charity.
All welcome to donate & borrow, @kingsioppn.bsky.social

#IoPPNFestival Fran Denk @denklab.bsky.social, winner of @kingsioppn.bsky.social Dean’s award for Research Integrity highlighting the importance of statistical understanding and application to support good research practices - honest, rigorous, open, respectful.

#statistics rocks!

Similar vibe, less exercise - coffee in Darwin’s garden at Down House. Beautiful! And every plant was a monitored experiment @englishheritage.bsky.social

#BNA2025 Great addition to a conference- a Reading Room - with a view. Thanks to The Queen’s Reading Room for funding and interesting sessions on reading + neuroscience

#BNA2025 Ekta Patel from the Psychiatry Consortium, part of @md-catapult.bsky.social launches our Academia - Industry symposium. Strengthening collaborations through grand challenges, target validation and engagement

📬New job 📬 Postdoc role on the AMBER project, to undertake genetic analyses of antidepressant response. Join us! Important science, rich data, nice people. Please repost. @kingsioppn.bsky.social
#depression #statistics #genetics #pharmacogenetics #antidepressants
my.corehr.com/pls/coreport...

Self-reported antidepressant outcomes capture more positive experiences than clinical remission.
Shaped by sociodemographic, clinical, and genetic factors. Patient perspectives are KEY.

Patient-centred data + clinical measures = greater understanding of treatment outcomes.
7/n

🧬 What about genetics? Non-response was associated with higher polygenic scores for depression but no effect of CYP2C19 metaboliser status.

5/n

75% of UK Biobank participants said "Yes" antidepressants helped them feel better

Likely reflecting a reduction in depression symptoms and improved day-to-day functioning, offering a broader perspective on treatment impact beyond clinical remission

3/n

Paper published: first output from our Wellcome Trust Mental Health Award, AMBER, on how UK Biobank participants report on whether antidepressants helped their depression.

tl;dr 75% said SSRI antidepressants helped them feel better

➡️ Paper in Psychological Medicine
bit.ly/4ifjcWC

🧵

To start 2025 on a cheerful note, the SGDP Centre, @kingsioppn.bsky.social are 'dopamine dressing'.
Today - 🟥red,
16th Jan -🟦blue,
23rd Jan - 🟩green,
30th Jan - 🏳️‍🌈any bright colour.
Even socks count!